Teachers’ Attrition at Pre-tertiary Level in Ghana: A Qualitative Investigation into its Causes and Suggestions

Abstract

Education has become an important social service, and its benefits are better reaped through quality of teachers who could improve performance of learners.  However, in Ghana, before teachers gain experience they quit their profession, a behavior popularly known as attrition, now a global challenge. Attrition in Ghana dates back to President Nkrumah’s era in the 60s, when His fee-free education attracted more children and consequently more teachers. However, conditions of service were un attractive at that time, so many vacated their posts to neighboring countries, like Nigeria, Liberia, Cote d’ Ivo ire, etc. Till date the attrition rate is In Ghana is high. The study thus seeks to identify the causes of, and solution to the attrition challenge in Ghana.  With a qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology methodology sampling approach, the researcher sampled for the study five teachers who had resigned their posts, and five who were in the Ghana Education Service.  A qualitative study analysis software (NVivo), was used to generate four themes as follows:  Poor conditions of service and salary; poor image of the profession; and a disunited front of the different groups of teachers—UTAG, POTAG, NAGRAT, and GNAT. The reviewed literature supported the first three themes, but the last one—the disunited front of teachers-- was significantly unique, and not found in previous studies.  Recommendations to raise the image of the teaching profession through school curriculum review; better conditions of service for GES; and a united front for all teachers in Ghana have been suggested.

Key words: Attrition, greener pastures, qualitative genre, hermeneutic phenomenology

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-14-18

Publication date:May 31^st 2019