Camp based factors influencing teacher recruitment in secondary schools in Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate camp based factors influencing
teacher recruitment in Dadaab Refugee camp secondary schools in North Eastern
Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to determine the influence of the
UNHCR teacher recruitment policy requiring 80 percent of refugee teachers and
20 percent of local teachers on teacher recruitment; establish teacher
qualifications influence on teacher recruitment; individual factors namely gender,
age and marital status and their influence on teacher recruitment and establish
security factor’s influence on teacher recruitment. The literature review comprised
of information under the following subtitles: UNHCR teacher recruitment policy
in refugee camps in relation to teacher recruitment, teacher qualifications in
relation to teacher recruitment, individual factors viz teacher’s gender, age and
marital status in relation to teacher recruitment and security in relation to teacher
recruitment. Case study method using descriptive design was used to determine
camp based factors influencing teacher recruitment in Dadaab secondary schools
in Northern Kenya. The study respondents were secondary school head teachers,
teachers and key informants. Head teachers and key informants were purposively
selected. Six of the seven head teachers in the 7 secondary schools in Dadaab
were sampled. Out of the 203 teachers within the schools 87 were sampled and
three key informants. Questionnaires were used to gather data from head teachers
and teachers while the key informants were interviewed. The instruments were
piloted and tested for validity and reliability. The Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS) software was used in analysing quantitative data and presented
using frequency tables. The qualitative data was presented in narrative form. The
study established that the UNHCR recruitment policy requiring that 80 percent of
teachers originate from the refugees and 20 percent from the local population had
not been realised. However, the refugee teachers outnumber the local teachers by
a 10 percent margin. The UNHCR did apply the recommendation that teachers
and other education personnel should be primarily selected from among the
affected population i.e. the refugees. The study established that most of the
secondary school teachers are trained hence qualified to teach in Dadaab Refugee
camp secondary schools. The study established that majority of teachers in
Dadaab refugee camp secondary schools were male. The study established that
the teachers age had no bearing on teaching performance even though the study
found overall percentage of teachers recruited are between ages 21 and 30. The
study found that marital status had no bearing on teacher recruitment in secondary
schools in Dadaab refugee camp. The study established that security was a major
concern for teachers in the schools as both local and refugee teachers expressed
fears regarding their personal safety regardless of safety precautions which had
been taken. The study concluded that security was a major concern for both local
and refugee teachers in Dadaab refugee camp secondary Schools. It recommended
that the education stakeholders, UNHCR and government partner to address the
security concern in order to maintain teacher retention hence sustainable
secondary education for refugee students in the Dadaab refugee camp secondary
schools. As a subject for further research the researcher suggested that since the
study was centred on Dadaab refugee camps secondary schools teacher
recruitment there was need to replicate the study in schools within the Northern
region in view of the current security situation.
Citation
Masters Degree in Education, Education in EmergenciesPublisher
University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [6020]