Effects of remoteness and hardship allowance in retaining teachers in rural schools in the Oshana region in Namibia

Abstract

Learners in Namibian rural schools receive a poor education as a result of their schools’ remote settings, which makes teachers hesitant to teach there. The Republic of Namibia’s government established the remoteness and hardship allowance in an effort to keep teachers in rural schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the remoteness and hardship allowances on maintaining teachers in rural schools in the Oshana region because teachers still transfer from rural to urban schools despite receiving these benefits. This is why determining the allowance's impact and cost-effectiveness was critical. The study was to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the effects of using money as an incentive to retain teachers in rural schools? (2) What are the factors that contribute to the movement of teachers from rural to urban schools? (3) Which other measures can be put in place to motivate and retain teachers in rural schools to complement the remoteness and hardship allowance? The study used a qualitative research approach, using a survey design. Purposive random sampling was utilised to select a sample of six teachers from all schools in the region that receive the remoteness and hardship allowance, as well as urban schools where teachers were relocated from rural schools. The study’s subjects were subjected to in-depth face-to-face interviews. The study included three teachers from a remote rural school and three teachers who had transferred to urban schools. The study included a total of six teachers. The data from the tape recorder was transcribed, and the transcribed data was subjected to content analysis. Themes and patterns were arranged and categorised based on how they emerged from the data. The study discovered that numerous reasons contributed to teachers’ moving from rural to urban schools, including a lack of housing, bad transportation networks, and poor leadership and management styles, to name a few. According to the study, money is not a motivating element because it might lead to job discontent. According to the study, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture and the various institutions that train teachers can design a module that focuses on the preparation of student teachers for postings to rural schools, as well as improved mobile communication networks and opportunities for professional development.