Evaluation of employee turnover in primary schools in Kampala. Case study: Kawempe Modern Primary School

Abstract

This research covers the concept of staff turnover in primary schools in Kampala. There have been instances of teachers leaving schools to teach in other schools or even abandoning the teaching profession completely to engage in other sectors of employment. This is not healthy for the education sector and therefore imposes a threat to the sector if the trend continues the way it is. The study aimed at investigating the causes of staff turnover in primary schools in Kampala, explored the effects of staff turnover in primary schools and also examined the strategies that can be undertaken to reduce staff turnover in primary schools in Kampala. The methodology used for the study adopted a cross sectional survey design where data was collected from a random sample of staff at the school under study using self-administered questionnaires. In-depth Interviews were conducted on a few key informants to validate responses acquired through questionnaires. Relevant documents were reviewed such as school’s administrative documents and journals to gather facts to supplement primary data collected through interviews and questionnaires. The findings of this study showed that staff turnover in primary schools is caused by employees leaving willingly due to a lack of career advancement, delayed salaries and job insecurity at the school. The effects of staff turnover in the schools were explored and findings showed that staff turnover leads to disruption of school activities, growth of school is affected and a school suffered from competitive disadvantage when teacher or influential staff members join other schools. The findings of the study regarding strategies of reducing staff turnover showed that competitive salaries and benefits, housing and health allowances, recognition of performing employees, paid leave days, management feedback, healthy workplace social interaction, training and mentoring staff, effective communication and transparency, clear recruitment process, healthy relationship with management are strategies that would reduce staff turnover at the school. The researcher recommends that the school strengthens policy on salaries and non-financial benefits/rewards in order to mitigate staff turnover at the school.