The influence of leadership and management on teacher retention in Mpumalanga schools

Abstract

Managing teacher retention is important for ensuring that quality teaching and learning take place in schools. Principals play an enormous role in creating conditions that are conducive to educative teaching and learning in the school. If principals can ensure that conditions in the schools are conducive for job satisfaction, then most teachers would not leave the school. Teacher satisfaction ultimately leads to commitment in school work. The main aim of this study was to investigate the influence of leadership and management on teacher retention in the Tweefontein South Circuit schools in the Mpumalanga Province. The assumption was that if teachers are satisfied in their jobs, then they will be retained in the school. Teacher attrition is, in most instances, ascribed to poor working conditions such as work overload, poor interpersonal relations, poor salaries and lack of support from the school management team. Although educators employed in schools acquired the best training at universities or training colleges, they still struggle financially and have a lot of debts. To achieve the aim of the study, a qualitative research approach was followed to collect data through semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with defining characteristics that make them the holders of the data needed for the study. Data was collected from principals, deputy principals, departmental heads and post level one teachers. The collected data was analysed and a thematic analysis was carried out to generate themes that addressed the study's problem. The responses from participants revealed that the school leadership comprising of the principals, deputy principals and HoDs encounter serious challenges in retaining teachers in schools. Findings revealed that SMTs should support teachers by involving them in decisions that enable teachers to experience job satisfaction. Although all school leaders try to motivate and support teachers not to resign through leadership, the motivation has yielded meagre results. There is absolutely nothing or little that school leadership can do to retain a teacher who resigns in order to access his or her pension fund after experiencing financial difficulties. Recommendations were that the school leadership should involve teachers in making decisions that will ensure teacher job satisfaction and that the department of education should also establish mechanisms in which teachers would be allowed to access part of their pension fund should they experience financial difficulties before reaching the retirement age.