The roles of school heads in preventing teachers’ absenteeism in Rungwe district public secondary schools

This study investigated the roles of school heads in preventing teachers’ absenteeism in Rungwe district public secondary schools. The objectives of the study were to identify reasons for teacher absenteeism in public secondary schools, to determine the strategies employed by school head in preventing teacher absenteeism and, finally, to examine challenges facing school heads in preventing teacher absenteeism in public secondary schools. The study used mainly qualitative approach and the main data collection methods were interview, questionnaire, focus group discussion and documentary review. The study comprised 82 respondents categorized into 64 secondary school teachers, 16 secondary school heads, 1 DEO and 1 TSD Secretary. Stratified sampling technique were used to select respondents and 16 schools involved in the study. The study indicated that reasons for teacher absenteeism in public secondary school in Rungwe district are economic reasons in particular low salaries, distance from teachers’ residence to school with a lack of transports and lack of motivation and social reasons that include family problems, illness, attending to hospital, attending to funerals, maternity leave and child feeding. Other reasons were environmental factors, lack of accommodation for teachers, leaving for further studies and official duties, poor teacher supervision and lack of appropriate sanction. Moreover, the results have shown that major strategies employed by school heads in preventing teacher absenteeism in Rungwe District include the use of the teacher attendance register, the use of class journal, provision of meals/lunch for teachers and the use of permission form as well as education provision. Meanwhile, the action taken by school heads against absentee teachers included providing advice and warning and reporting to the district authorities. Several challenges facing school heads in controlling teacher absenteeism include lack of power by the school heads to sanction absentee teachers, teachers cheating/faking illness, enmity between teachers and school heads, negligence and less commitment by teachers to the teaching profession and lack of accommodation. The study recommended that, government has to increase teachers’ remunerations, create better working conditions, punish/sanction absent teachers, and also punish non-compliant school heads, train newly appointed school heads and empower school heads with more authority to improve school level supervision as well as review regulations/circulars governing teachers’ attendance in school. Finally, it is recommended that similar study can be conducted in other areas in the country for the purpose of generalizing.