Causes of the high turnover of board of governors teachers: a case study of Kitui central district
Abstract
This study focused on the causes of turnover amongst Board of Governors (BOG) teachers: a
case study of public Secondary schools in Kitui Central District. There have been under-staffing
in the Kenyan Secondary schools and the situation worsened after the introduction of free
secondary education. As a result of understaffing, schools employ BOG teachers on temporary
basis to help the TSC teachers achieve the objectives of education. This study seeks to find out
the causes of high turnover of BOG teachers in Kitui Central District as its general objective.
The specific objectives of the study were to determine if poor working conditions and poor
compensation are the main causes of the high turnover. Failure by the respondents to fully fill in
the questionnaires was a limitation but the researcher did field-editing and requested the
respondents to fill any missing information. The second chapter of the study focused on literature
review; an introduction, theoretical framework and a review of what other researchers have
written on turnover. Compensation, job security, job satisfaction and poor working conditions
are the variables tested in this study. Chapter three of this study highlights the research design
and methodology used in the study. Descriptive research was employed in the study which is a
case study. The target population was thirty schools in Kitui Central District each with an
average of six BOG teachers. Probability sampling techniques were used to sample the 100%
school principals and 30% BOG teachers required for the study. Questionnaires and interviews
were used as tools for data collection. A data analysis was aided by statistical methods and its
presentation by pie-charts and bar-graphs. The analyzed provided useful information for decision
making by the schools’ management, Ministry of Education and it will act as a building block for
future researchers. The study embraced high ethical standards to ensure that the quality of the
research conclusion is not compromised. Data was collected from 30 public secondary schools in
Kitui Central District. 30 Principals were interviewed and their response was 100% as they all
availed for the scheduled interviews. The BOG teachers were expected to be 54 but only 51
responded which is an average of 94.4%. Frequency tables and pie charts have been used to
present the data. The conclusion of the study show that there is a very high turnover of BOG
teachers in public secondary schools in Kitui Central District as 60% of Principals said that their
BOG leave very often and 40% said they left often. This means that the BOG teachers in the area
of study have minimal retention if any. The findings of the study show that the BOG teachers in
the study area are dissatisfied with the compensation and the poor working conditions in the
schools. They are also insecure working in the schools and as a result they are dissatisfied with
their job. Poor working conditions, job insecurity and dissatisfaction with pay cause the BOG
teachers to be dissatisfied with their job and intent to quit. The study findings necessitate the
following recommendations to be made: The government through the TSC and Ministry of
Education to come up with policies and standards that govern universal compensation of the
BOG teachers. School principals should be encouraged to use participative leadership style in the
school management and avoid threats and intimidation. This will enhance their job security and
not to have security of their jobs at the mercies of the principals. The research suggests further
studies on the area of study to test other variables like school characteristics and influence by
colleagues on turnover of the BOG teachers. A similar study could also be carried out in private
schools to find out if the findings vary or tally.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5964]