Comparative teachers’ reward management systems in public and private schools in Tanzania:a case of Arusha city council

This study was about teachers’ reward management systems in public and private schools in Tanzania. Its interest was to find the reasons why there were more claims about rewards in public schools than in private schools despite of many pay reforms that had been undertaken by the government. The study used Arusha City Council as a case study and a sample of 240 respondents were randomly and purposively selected for the study. The study used questionnaires and interview research tools. Furthermore, the study was informed by motivation theories and empirical evidence from relevant literature. The study revealed that there were no objective criteria used to determine teacher’s rewards. The government had set a legal framework which gives an opportunity to public school teachers through their trade union to advise on reward matters while the final decisions on rewards remained unilaterally determined by the government itself. Private school teachers were not organized in any form of trade union and hence their rewards were arbitrary determined by employers. It is recommended that government should carry out a comprehensive teaching job evaluation, appraise teachers and reward them according to their performance rather than basing on educational level and seniority only. Moreover, like in private schools, it was recommended that all human resource management functions including teachers’ reward management systems be decentralized from central government to the district level where teachers are allocated.