Compensation and retention of junior high school teachers’ in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

Although there have been a number of studies on compensation and teacher retention, Nsawam Adoagyiri district has received little attention. It is against this background that the current study focused on the compensation and retention of teachers in the district. The study adopted the quantitative approach to research. The explanatory design was also employed. From a population of 355, 285 teachers were sampled from the five circuits of the district using stratified random sampling technique. Questionnaire was the main data instrument. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequencies, means, standard deviation and regression. Findings of the study revealed that several compensation packages such as pay/salary, bonuses/allowances, job security, health and safety packages, promotions, annual leave, career advancement and conducive work conditions are available to teachers in the municipality. Also, there are some notable factors such as characteristics of the student body, teachers' work experience and background characteristics, low salary and other forms of compensation accounts, lack of school administrative support, student discipline problems, lack of decentralization in classroom decision making process and poor students’ motivation account for teacher turnover in Junior High Schools in the municipality. Furthermore, there is a positive relationship between compensation packages and teacher retention in the municipality. The study therefore recommend the need to drastically review the existing packages upwards from time to time as well as instituting measures aimed at offering career advancement opportunities to teachers both locally and internationally.