Windhoek
The government is being urged to better reward and recognise teachers’ contributions to education to stem an ever growing teacher crisis in public schools.
Education authorities are also advised to be more visible and better interact with principals and learning institutions to assure educators of their support.
“It is crucial that the Namibian ministries of education, or control boards of private schools, are well informed about the impact of good rewarding and recognition strategies of its educators,” highlighted the Namibian Journal of Managerial Sciences, which was officially launched by the International University of Management (IUM) last week on Thursday.
According to statistics, nearly 2 000 qualified teachers quit teaching each year due to conditions under which they operate, leaving them with no option but to seek employment elsewhere. Many also have to cope with grossly overcrowded classrooms.
Although teachers receive housing and transport allowances, those incentives appear to be not enough to retain qualified teachers. Teachers are not only reportedly leaving government service for private schools, but for parastatals and private companies as well.
The report says, however, that rewarding and recognition do not always have to be in monetary terms. Annual award ceremonies in all the regions, it suggests, will definitely increase educators’ work engagement, organisation and commitment and prevent their quitting.
The journal publishes academic and professional articles on a variety of disciplines in which management is arguably an important ingredient.
The journal, put together by highly-placed academics with PhD qualifications, including IUM founder Dr David Namwandi, suggests that ways be found to inform and guide relevant education authorities regarding the effects of relational contexts, organisational support and rewards or recognition on the work engagement, and organisational commitment of educators, as well as on their turnover intentions.
Further, it states, it is crucial that education authorities have access to and understand industrial psychology concepts, and how to utilise as well as apply them to establish a highly motivated, effective and productive education corps.
Equally, it calls for interventions to inform school management about the importance of good interpersonal relationships between colleagues, supervisors and other educators.
It is also recommended that organisational support be clearly signalled to all educators in the country, as this, the report says, shows to be a positive contributor to work engagement and organisational obligation.
The journal is published twice a year, normally in June and November.