Authors : Zayadi A. Msangi

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/4jesaxet

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/2c38mb5e

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26may1884

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Abstract : Employee turnover constitutes a persistent and costly challenge for private secondary schools, undermining instructional continuity, depleting institutional knowledge, and escalating operational expenditure. Despite its growing relevance, empirical evidence on the effects of employee turnover in private secondary schools in Tanzania remains scarce. This study sought to assess the effects of employee turnover, examine its underlying causes, and identify management strategies for its mitigation in private secondary schools in Ilala Municipality, Dar es Salaam. Moreover, the study adopted a qualitative research approach, underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm, and employed a descriptive research design. Purposive sampling was used to select 87 participants from five private secondary schools, comprising head teachers, deputy head teachers, academic masters, heads of department, class teachers, and subject teachers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, self-administered questionnaires, and documentary review. Qualitative data were analysed thematically, while descriptive statistics were applied to quantitative items. The findings indicate that the principal causes of employee turnover include uncompetitive salary packages, inadequate training and professional development opportunities, absence of performance-based promotion, poor working conditions, and insufficient recognition and rewards. The effects of turnover were found to include deterioration of service quality, wastage of organizational resources, loss of experienced staff, increased workload among remaining teachers, and erosion of institutional knowledge. Effective retention strategies identified include competitive compensation and benefits, fair treatment, career development opportunities, employee relations programmes, provision of staff loans, structured exit interviews, and performance-based recognition. Furthermore, School management and policy-makers should institutionalise performance-based promotion systems, invest in continuous professional development, and establish transparent remuneration structures to reduce turnover and improve school effectiveness. This study contributes to the limited empirical body of knowledge on teacher turnover within private secondary education in sub-Saharan Africa, offering context-sensitive recommendations for human resource management in the Tanzanian education sector.

Keywords : Employee Turnover, Teacher Retention, Private Secondary Schools, Tanzania, Human Resource Management, School Effectiveness.

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