Effectiveness of procedures used by educational managers in handling teachers’ grievances in public secondary schools in tanga city, Tanzania

This study sought to assess effectiveness of procedures used by education managers in handling teachers’ grievances in public secondary schools in the city of Tanga, Tanzania. In that regard, the study, first, identified common teachers’ grievances; second, explored strategies used by education managers in addressing teachers’ grievances; finally the study assessed effectiveness of strategies used by education managers in handling teachers’ grievances in public secondary schools. The study utilized qualitative approach under case study design. The area of the study was Tanga city involving six public secondary schools in Tanga city. Data were collected using interviews, focus group discussions and documentary review. Respondents were selected using both snowball and purposive sampling in order to collect data which were analyzed qualitatively. The major findings showed that, the following are challenges that bring about teachers’ grievances and they include delayed promotions, unpaid arrears; heavy teaching workload, inadequate resources and payment of low salaries in the context of public secondary schools and have several detrimental effects on teachers’ work performance. These effects include reducing teaching morale, belittlement of teachers’ status, and indiscipline. Likewise, teachers subscribe to low teaching efficiency which brings about awful instructional quality. The major causes of grievances are grouped in three categories namely; financial related factors, management policies and work conditions. The findings also revealed that, grievance handling procedure used in public secondary schools are moderately effective as evidenced by a number of teachers’ grievances which go unresolved or partially addressed in public secondary schools. Recommendations for action arising from the study are that; education managers should make quick discovery of teachers’ grievances and ensure prompt and effective handling. It is also advised that Ministry officials, education planners and policy makers should raise teachers’ motivation using appropriate policy changes and implementation including reviewing and revising procedures for handling grievances to make sure that immediate efforts are available. Further, the study recommends that both pre and in-service training pertaining to human resource management at workplace should be provided to all aspire to become school managers including district education officers, heads of schools and teachers so as to remind equip them with necessary knowledge and skills on proper handling of employee’s grievance at workplace. The study also advises education mangers to ensure availability of standing orders to teachers for them to read and understand. This will create more awareness of teachers’ rights and entitled welfares and thus will help them to know what to claim, how to claim, where to claim and even when to claim. It is also recommended that similar studies can be conducted in other regions and in other private schools so as to draw the relationship between grievance management in public and private schools and in other regions.