Interviews with Sierra Leone’s primary teachers reveal that the country is facing a teacher motivation crisis that threatens the quality of basic education. Although this problem has been clearly recognised in Sierra Leone’s National Action Plan for Education For All, acute fiscal constraints make these urgently needed measures very difficult to realise.
This study is one of 12 country studies that examine how teacher motivation is affecting the achievement of Education for All in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Through interviews and surveys undertaken in rural and urban primary schools, it finds that less than one third of teachers in Sierra Leone are satisfied with their jobs; of these, most are either unqualified or working in private schools. Key reasons for low motivation were felt to be:
- late payment of salaries and allowances (including an average 9 month delay in paying new teachers) and inadequate pay structure
- unfair teacher recruitment policy
- a lack of teacher housing in rural areas
- inadequate resources such as furniture and teaching/learning materials in schools
- seriously inequitable disparities in the quality of staff at urban areas compared to rural schools.
Suggested actions to improve teacher motivation include:
- efforts to ensure that teachers receive pay on time as well as allowances, together with improved housing for teachers in rural areas
- provision of workshops and seminars (in-service training) and distance education for teachers on a regular basis
- more training for managers to provide better management of schools
- greater community involvement in the activities of the school
- improved infrastructure
- the current ceiling on teacher numbers should be increased to at least 33,000 teachers for primary schools
- the posting of teachers should be done on a more systematic, national basis and according to transparent and enforced regulations, taking into account regional disparities.