Stakeholders’ views on strategies to retain teachers in public secondary schools in rungwe district, Tanzania

The study aimed to examine stakeholders’ views on strategies used to retain public secondary school teachers. The specific objectives were to explore teacher retention status in the district in the period 2011-2015, to find out school practices used to retain public secondary school teachers and to relate types of teacher retention strategies with teacher retention rate. The study employed mixed research approach and embedded case study design. The study was conducted in Rungwe district, Tanzania and involved 8 public secondary schools. The sample comprised 220 respondents, who were selected using purposive sampling and random sampling. Data were collected through questionnaire, semi-structured interview, observation and documentary review. Quantitative data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science Software Programme (SPSS) and processed in the form of figures in contingency tables. The Chi-Square Test technique for nominal and ordinal variables was used to describe and establish association that was tested for statistical significance at p≤0.05 levels. Qualitative data were subjected to thematic and content analyses. The findings revealed that there is no proper mechanism used to retain multi-skilled teachers in Rungwe district. Provision of competitive salary for public secondary school teachers as well as delay of promotion, payment of arrears and solving problems related to salary were also not prioritized by employer which led to teachers’ frustration and attrition. Provision of induction programme, sufficient incentive, teachers’ awareness of terms and conditions of service, on-time teachers’ promotion, and paying arrears as well as competitive salaries contribute to teacher retention. The study concluded that, both district and schools had no known teacher retention strategies and plans which resulted in teachers attrition of especially the multi skilled ones. Education managers need to concentrate in improving teachers’ earnings, teaching environment, managing teachers and informing them about relevant labour terms and conditions of service. Misuse of multi skilled teachers contributes much to teacher turnover and needs to be addressed independently in order to encourage growth of the teaching profession. The study recommends that education administrators should be regularly used in training teachers on labour laws, terms and conditions of service. Teachers’ colleges and universities should develop a course in labour laws, terms and conditions of services. Government should reform employment and promotion policies for the multi-skilled teachers. The researches should be conducted on other education sectors such as public primary schools, public colleges to find out the magnitude of the problem of teacher retention and measures to resolve it as well as a comparative analysis of districts with teacher retention plans should be made to find out an appropriate model of retaining teachers.