An investigation of factors that influence teachers’ morale in public secondary schools in Kinondoni Municipality

This study examined the factors that influence teachers’ morale in public secondary schools in Kinondoni Municipality Tanzania. Specifically, the study sought to: examine what the real causes of low morale to teachers in public schools are, explore the indicators of low teachers morale and the effects of that low morale to public schools and examine the strategies which can be employed to boost up the teachers’ morale. The study employed qualitative research approach informed with the phenomenological design. The study was conducted in four public schools in Kinondoni Municipality. The study used a total sample of 69 respondents in the categories of one district secondary education officer, four heads of schools, 40 teachers and 24 students. The questionnaire, focus group discussion, documentary review and interviews were used as a data collection tools. The study findings revealed that low teachers’ salaries, lack of incentives, lack of benefits other than salaries, inadequate teaching and learning facilities and teachers’ workload were major causes of teachers’ low working morale. Furthermore, the study disclosed that lack of job commitment, engaging in the second job during working hours, giving few assignments to students, and showing a high level of absenteeism were major indicators of low teachers working morale, caused by interwoven factors and not one single factor. Therefore, it was recommended that government should set short, medium and long-term plans for improvement of teachers’ salaries and teachers extra duty allowances should be paid on time. There is also the need to improve living and working environment in secondary schools for the effective and efficient achievement of education goals.