The contribution of promotion practices to motivating public secondary schools teachers in Morogoro Municipality

This study assessed the contribution of promotion practices to motivating public secondary school teachers in Morogoro Municipality. The study was guided by three research objectives; identify the criteria which guide the promotion of public secondary school tearchers; to determine the extent to which guide the promotion criteria are used to promote secdary school teachers; and to assess the contribution of promotion to boosting the work morale of public secondary school teachers. The study employed a mixed methods approach and specifically deployed a multiple embedded case study design. The sample was composed of 83 respondents: 64 teachers, 8 academic teachers, 8 head teachers, one District Education Officer (DEO), one district human resource manager (for teacher) and one district Teachers’ Service Department (TSD) secretary. Purposive and simple random were used to select the study sample. Data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, documentary review and questionnaires. Qualitative data were analysed by using the Miles and Huberman (1984) flow model of qualitative data analysis and content analysis. Quantitative data on the other hand were analysed in frequencies and percentages using the SPSS software and presented in tables. The study established that education qualifications, seniority and Open Performance Review and Appraisal System (OPRAS) were the criteria deployed to promote public secondary school teachers; however, not all education managers were aware with these criteria. Seniority was common criterion used to promoting teachers, involved all teachers in the other hand, encouraged teachers to work hard and enhance work performance. But, promotion on the basis of seniority discouraged hard working teachers. Promotion based on OPRAS was found to be time consuming and made it difficult to evaluate teachers’ performance. On the whole, the study found that none of the available promotion criteria was effectively applied and teachers were not promoted on time. Ultimately teachers were dissatisfied with the promotion practice and lacked working morale. This was found to lead to poor implementation of the curriculum and extra curriculum activities. Thus, the study recommends that the TSD officers should make sure that all education managers are aware of all the promotion criteria. Also the district TSD officers should use all three criteria effectively in effecting teachers’ promotions. Furthermore, the public service management policy of 1999 should be amended to recognize post graduate qualifications in teachers’ promotion process. Teachers should be promoted on time and salary adjustments effected promptly. Generally the existing promotion practice should be reviewed to ensure that teachers are satisfied with promotion they get to motivate them to work hard.