Personnel Management and Retention
of Teachers in Public Schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Abstract
The study
examines the effects of personnel management on teachers’ retention in public
schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Four research questions and hypotheses
were formulated and used in the study. Descriptive and explorative research
designs were adopted. In a population of 5,363 teachers, stratified and simple
random sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 704 teachers to
participate in the study. A structured four-point Likert-type scale
questionnaire was developed and used for data collection. Data generated from
the study was processed, tabulated and analyzed. Pearson Product Moment The correlation was used to analyze the relationship between independent variables
(salary structure, promotion, work condition, and in-service training and the dependent variable (teachers’ retention) at 0.05 level of significance. Among
several factors, teachers’ salary structure should be improved and paid on time.
Introduction
Background of the study personnel management can be defined as obtaining, using and maintaining a satisfied workforce. It is a significant part of management concerned with employees at work and with their relationship within the organization. Personnel management is the planning, organizing, compensation, integration, and maintenance of people for the purpose of contributing to) organizational, individual and societal goals (Armstrong, 2010).
Teachers
have both intrinsic and extrinsic needs. Intrinsic and extrinsic needs
(improved work condition, good salary structure, training, and promotion) are a major aspect of personnel management in school. A teacher who is intrinsically
motivated may be observed to undertake a task for its own sake, for the
satisfaction it provides or for the feeling of accomplishment and
self-actualization; and it always set the pace for teachers’ retention.
On
the other hand, an extrinsically motivated teacher may perform the
activity/duty in order to obtain some reward such as salary and remain in
teaching profession or in a particular school for a longer period of time.
Effective managing and motivating teachers play an important part in their
satisfaction and effectiveness in teaching service (Marnoria & Gankar, 2009).
It is pre-eminent in influencing a teacher’s behavior and decision to remain in
teaching.
The effectiveness of motivational strategy may be measured based on its ability to
influence teacher retention in schools. In recent times, schools globally
have been experiencing a lot of challenges in relation to retaining their
teachers in school especially experienced teachers. The need may arise that the
experienced teachers should be well paid before they can continue with the
school or teaching profession.
Also
employee retention is not only important just to reduce the turnover costs or
the cost incurred by a company or institution to recruit and train. But the
need for retaining employees or teachers is more important to retain talented
employees from getting poached. There are many factors which show the
importance of employee retention.
Johnason
(2009) believed that workers are not just concerned with money but could be
better motivated by having their social needs met whilst at work (something
that Taylor ignored). He introduced the Human Relation School of thought, which
focused on employers taking more of an interest in the employees respecting
their opinions and treating them as people who have worthwhile knowledge and
realized that employees feel comfortable and enjoy interacting together
Dill
& Stafford (2008) indicate that about 50% of the new teachers leave the profession within the first five years of teaching. In addition, young people
studying to be teachers rarely know if they will succeed as a teacher. In
England and Wales, the low retention rates of teachers in schools have
continued being a high profile area of scrutiny.
More
specifically, subjects such as Mathematics, Science, and English have been
categorized by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) as priority or shortage
subjects. Additionally, schools in London have continued to experience
particular shortages in teacher numbers over recent years. This is whereby
about 40% of three Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) have left teaching within the
first three years of employment (Woodward, 2009).
Furthermore,
Woodward (2009) observes that teachers who tend to leave the teaching
professions or just change jobs are often doing so because they are
disenchanted, either with management and or with the workload. More
specifically, the highest rated reason for leaving the profession for other
work was the lack of creativity and autonomy in the occupation in British
Curriculum System of Education (BCSE). The same challenge of teacher retention
in schools is also felt in most of the African countries. For instance,
countries such as Gambia, Lesotho, Tanzania, and Uganda have been noted to
have a shortage of qualified teachers. This has been conceptualized as to have
an effect both in the primary and secondary schools.
Employees
stay or leave organizations for many reasons the reasons may be personal or
professional. Employees who are satisfied and happy with their jobs are more
dedicated and work for an organization’s growth. If employees are satisfied with their
job then they will stick and work for the organization. This may be translated
to employees that are satisfied with their job will stay with the organization.
It
may further be observed that the average rate of teacher attrition in these
countries, which is 4% and this may be attributed to factors such as
retirement, resignations, death, and dismissals (Sinyolo, 2007). Minimal teacher
retention in most of the schools in Africa is as a result of teacher encounter
with environments that lack essential professional support, especially from
school leadership, organizational structures and workforce conditions that
convey respect and value for teachers, and an induction and mentoring program
for new and experienced teachers. Administrators have found the complexity of
the issues embedded in retaining high-quality teachers daunting.
Oluwadamilere
(2012) noted that motivating employees has become one of the most significant
activities for human resource management vis-a-vis teacher’s personnel
management. Poor remuneration and social conditions according to the teaching
profession have led to the popular adage “teachers rewards are in heaven”. Huno
(2010) noted that the working environment of the school teacher has a significant
impact on their job satisfaction and effectiveness (productivity).
In
the words of Oluwadamilere (2012), employees (teachers) could be creative,
resourceful, and enterprising and result oriented if they are content and
satisfied with the environment in which they work. Human Resource Management
practice is directed not only to top management needs but to the human
resource, that is, the employers and employees in an organization. Human
Resource Management practice is proactive and not reactive and greater emphasis
is placed on planning, monitoring, supervising, training and development and
performance appraisal. In an organization, solving problems does not lie with
members of top management alone, but with employees (thus the human resource)
or their representatives
Managing
teachers is that part of school management function which is concerned with
teachers at work and their relationship within the educational enterprise. It
seeks to bring together and develop into an effective educational organization,
men and women who make up the teaching workforce, enabling each to make his/her
own the best contribution to its success. Management of teaching workforce involves
a number of strategies that begins and maintain activities toward the
achievement of personal and organizational goals.
Omebe
(2001) is of the view that well-managed teachers will always look for better
ways to do their teaching job. They are more quality oriented and more
productive. Management of teachers can be through the adoption of these
management strategies; supervision, in-service training and compensation among
others. Hence, any teacher that enjoys the influence of the above-named
strategies are bound to give all his best in discharging his or her duty because
he would derive the satisfaction of being a teacher, which in turn will attract
and retain teachers in the teaching profession.
Statement of the Problem
The
Educational Reform Programmes (ERP) of 1987 aims at increasing access and
reducing gender gap, improving quality of education and improving management
efficiency. Teachers play a vital or crucial role in the achievement of quality
education. The important input in any organization or educational enterprise is
its human resource. Thus, many reasons could be assigned for the failure of
public educational enterprises to achieve their objectives. Among the common
problems in the teaching profession are lack of adequate salaries and
incentives, low morale of staff, poor working condition, weak and incompetent
management staff, indiscipline, shortage of skilled and experienced personnel
and supervisors. Understanding of the Human Resource Management Practice in the
Akwa Ibom State will help design appropriate strategies if necessary, to
enhance personnel management practices so as to enable teachers to give off
their best in the educational district. Thus, the research is motivated to
carry out a study on personnel management and teachers’ retention in public
secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Objectives of the Study
The
specific objectives of the study are to:
1. determine
the relationship between salary and teachers’ retention in public secondary schools
in Akwa Ibom State.
2. examine
the relationship between promotion and teachers’ retention in public secondary
schools in Akwa Ibom State.
3. examine
the relationship between in-service-training and teachers’ retention in public
secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State.
4. examine
the relationship between the working condition and teachers’ retention in public
secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State.
Research
Questions
The
following research questions are raised to guide the study
1. What
is the relationship between salary and teachers’ retention in public secondary
schools in Akwa Ibom State?
2. What
is the relationship between promotion and teachers’ retention in public
secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State?
3. What
is the relationship between in-service training and teachers’ retention in
public secondary schools in Akwa Iborn State?
4. What
is the relationship between the working condition and teachers’ retention in public a secondary school in Akwa Ibom State?
Research
Hypothesis
The
following hypotheses are formulated to guide the study.
H01: there
is no significant relationship between salary and teachers’ retention in public
secondary schools.
H02:
there is no significant relationship between promotion and teachers’ retention
in public secondary schools
H03: there
is no significant relationship between in-service-training and teachers’
retention in public secondary schools
H04: there
is no significant relationship between the working condition and teachers’
retention in public secondary schools
Significance
of the Study
This
study will be of immense benefits to the government, schools, teachers, as well
as student researchers. The findings will help the government or school
authority in formulating effective planning and implementation policies and
programmes for effective managing of teachers in public secondary schools in
Nigeria. The result of this work will enable the ministry of education and
government to improve the Nigerian teacher’s problem of leaving or not
embracing the teaching profession.
In
addition, school inspectors and supervisors in conjunction with the Nigerian
Union of Teachers (NUT) will be informed through this study on how to devise a lasting solution to problems affecting job performances in general with special
references to teachers who are still on the job.
It
will also provide policymakers with intelligent forecast and analysis of
future needs of teachers as regards to training, promotion, work condition and
salary. It will enable school educators and government to appreciate the contribution
of personnel management variables (training, work condition, etc) in attracting
and retaining teachers).
The
issue of training and retraining of teachers will be addressed and the Ministry
of Education to seek ways of monitoring teachers for better and higher
performance to achieve the goals of the educational sector and thus set the pace for them to remain in the teaching profession for a longer period of time.
The study will also be of great significance to the personnel department to identify
the functions which include motivation, employees to perform at standard,
fostering good labour management relations, manpower planning, recruitment,
selection, and placement. It also includes training and development, wages and
salaries, administration of transfer, promotions, and lay-off, discipline and
discharge. Additionally, the personnel department is also often charged with the responsibility of health and safety, employees’ benefits and services,
organizational planning personnel and behavioral research.
It
will also assist in manpower forecasting or predicting future requirement in
personnel both in terms of demand and supply. This includes a thorough assessment
of the requirement for specific categories of manpower in the various activity
areas of the organization which would include a requirement to fill a position in
each man-power category as envisaged in recruitment, forecasting, assuming
no drastic changes in manpower mix, constraints and also requirements for
meeting “wastage” through turn over, retirement, death, and promoting from one
job to another. It also requires an inventory of supply of various categories
of manpower from all external sources as well as through internal sources
including on the job training and upgrading.
Finally,
it will be of benefit to the student researchers as it will provide a valid
working document or literature in investigating other areas not covered by this
study.
Scope of the study
The study is delimited to the examination of personnel management variables on
teachers’ retention in public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State. Many
factors could contribute to the effective management of teachers in public
secondary schools, but for the purpose of the study, only staff salary,
promotion, training, and work condition were selected for the investigation.
Especially, the scope of the study covered only teachers (both newly employed
and old teachers) in Akwa Ibom State
No comments:
Post a Comment