An Assessment of Teachers Turnover in North Western Zone of Secondary Schools of Tigray Regional state
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Date
2014-06
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Addis Ababa Univerisity
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to identify the major causes for teachers’ turnover and its
implications to the teaching learning process in Northern West Zone of Tigray Regional State. A
descriptive survey method and in-depth interviews were used in order to obtain pertinent information on
the current state of problems of teachers’ turnover in the zone. Five woredas and eight secondary
schools were included in the study using stratified sampling technique. The study had two groups of
respondents that included 136 existing and 7 former teachers. While stratified random sampling was
used selecting for existing teachers and snowball sampling was used to choosing subject of former
teachers. Interviews were conducted with former teachers as well as school principals, woreda
education heads and experts. Research data secured through questionnaire, interview and document
analysis were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean scores, Chi-square and the data collected
was transcribed, translated to English & then analyzed qualitatively. The study showed that the annual
average teacher turnover in secondary schools of the zone for the last five years (2008/09– 2012/13)
was 10.3% with the highest (16.6%) in Asgede Thimbla woreda and the lowest (6.7%) in Tahtay-Koraro
woreda. Sex wise 12.3% of female and 9.9% of male teachers left secondary schools of the zone for the
last five years. Teachers with less than eleven years of experience quit teaching in secondary schools
than teachers above ten years of work experience. Moreover, teachers who specialized in natural
science comprised the highest group of leavers; and the trend of teachers’ turnover seems likely to
continue. Results also revealed that the existing and former teachers joined the teaching profession not
because they like it, but because they had no other alternatives. In addition to this, teachers become
dissatisfied with both working conditions and work itself in schools. The existing teachers intended to
leave and former teachers quitted from teaching in secondary schools mainly due to: economic factors
(inadequate salary and lack of incentives) as compared to other civil service servants with similar
qualification and work experience, low social status accorded to teaching profession by the society and
the government at large, availability of opportunity of other occupation with better payment and
incentives, CPD program, and poor students’ enthusiasm to learn. As a result of teachers’ turnover,
instructional activities were interrupted, the remaining teachers were demoralized, work load in
education officials and teaching load has increased, Generally, teachers’ turnover in secondary
schools of Northern west zone in Tigray regional state was found to be a function of shortage of
effective teachers, low teachers commitment, interrupted teaching learning process and performance.
This implies to policy makers in the region to change the dissatisfaction level of teachers to be
minimized through different mechanisms such as by improving career ladder and incentives, social
status of education, working conditions, teacher’s competence through professional development etc.
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Education