Teacher recruitment and retention in private basic schools in Awutu–Senya East

Abstract

The caliber of teachers at the basic school level is essential in the formative years of children. This study thus examined recruitment and retention of teachers in private basic schools to inform policy and program decisions. The study used a concurrent parallel mixed method design with 431 teachers who participated in the quantitative phase and 10 head teachers participating in the qualitative phase. The quantitative and qualitative data were collected using self-developed questionnaires and an interview guide, respectively. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS vs 22, mean and standard deviation, factor analysis and logistic regression analysis, whilst thematic analysis was done for the qualitative data to provide insights. The study revealed that private schools go through various stages in recruitment, such as posting job openings, accepting applications, selecting candidates, conducting interviews, and setting up appointments, as well as using digital channels, posters, flyers, and print media to publicize job openings. Consequently, qualified candidates are chosen for interviews through a selection procedure that involves retired educators, the head of school, the assistant head, and the owner of the school as panel members. The private basic schools also value background checks on potential teachers to maintain safety and reputation. The study further found that the following factors attract teachers into teaching in the school: teacher-parent relationship, healthcare benefits, compensation and professional development and student population. These factors account for 56.076 percent of the variance in teacher recruitment. The logistic regression analysis also revealed that professional qualification was the strongest predictor of teacher retention in the private schools. The findings of the study have implications for private basic school owners, authorities and policy makers. A nationwide study is therefore recommended to further investigate the issues identified for an informed wider stakeholder engagement to chart a national policy path for acquiring quality basic education from the private sector in Ghana.