Causes for Instructors’ Intensions to Leave Public Universities in Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Staff retention has become a difficult task at public universities in Ethiopia where there is high staff turnover. Senior and seasoned teaching and research staff often leave the universities for better paying jobs in other organizations. Identifying the root causes of staff attrition at public universities in the country is a key issue for ensuring staff retention that may enable to attain sustainable expansion and quality of education and research. A focus on such issue would enable policy makers to plan strategies that would reduce attrition rate of teaching and research staff who are key role players in ensuring quality education and research at public universities in the country.
Objectives: The objective of the study was to elucidate factors that cause staff attrition at public universities in Ethiopia and suggest remedial measures.
Methods: This study was undertaken in 2013/14 academic year at 13 public (government) universities. It was undertaken through self-administered questionnaires and discussions with instructors, students, and university leadership. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the support of some tests of hypothesis where comparisons were found to be necessary.
Results: The study revealed that there was low level of motivation of staff to continue working at the universities. Accordingly, 63% of the interviewed instructors responded that they had low motivation to work at the universities and 73% revealed their intention to leave their jobs in the near future. Low salaries and dissatisfaction with poor governance systems of the universities were mentioned to be the major reasons for staff to leave their jobs. The interview results also indicate that the salaries to be paid at the universities in the study year should be 19,641.89 (Nineteen Thousand and six hundred and forty-one and 89 cents) for a person with the academic rank of professor, for example. The salary issue is, however, resolved in 2016 to the extent that is equivalent to the recommendation of this study.
Recommendations: Recommended solutions include installing staff benefits beyond salary and improving the working environment for the staff, including good governance. It is important also to make further study in order to see the effect of policy lag and make necessary adjustments.