Salaries and Teachers’ Mobility Among Private Schools in Nigeria

Abstract

Teachers’ activities remain important in the growth and development of any nation because the origins of other professions are from teaching. These teachers are paid salary as an economic reward to motivate them to put in more efforts that in turn reflects positively on the efficiency and productivity of the school. However, these teachers are found leaving for other schools at will the very moment opportunities come, with such involving an extra pay. This study therefore sought to establish the determinants of salary administration, teachers’ mobility factors, and determine if any significant relationship exists between salary administration and teachers’ mobility in private schools in Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. The population of the study comprised all the teachers and school heads in approved 1163 private schools spread across the three Senatorial Districts and 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Osun state, Nigeria. Using the Multi-stage sampling procedure, 360 teachers and 27 head teachers were selected. From each of the three senatorial districts in Osun State, three Local Government Areas were selected using purposive sampling technique. Also, from each Local Government, four private schools were selected using purposive sampling technique. The justification for this is to select big schools that are likely to have experienced teachers’ mobility. Data were collected using a self-designed and validated instrument titled: Salary and Teachers’ Mobility Questionnaire (STM-Q). Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, and percentages for the descriptive aspect of quantitative while correlation was used for the inferential aspect. The results showed determinants of salary in private schools to be whenever school income increases (96.7%), qualifications (84.6%), and students’ school fees (53.2%). Teachers’ mobility in private schools were as a result of welfare package (41.3%), 59.4% believed teachers’ workload, 50.1% attested to opportunities for professional advancement offered and better salary elsewhere (60.5). The study thus concluded that private school owners and critical stakeholders should face current economic reality while determining their teachers’ salary with attention paid to other incentives to discourage incessant mobility of private school teachers. This is for the fact that a significant relationship exists between salaries and teachers’ mobility.