Teacher Attrition: Why Secondary School Teachers Leave the Profession in Afghanistan

Aslami, Hassan

Publication:
Teacher Attrition: Why Secondary School Teachers Leave the Profession in Afghanistan

dc.contributor.author	Aslami, Hassan
dc.contributor.department	University of Massachusetts Amherst
dc.date	2023-09-23T12:41:16.000
dc.date.accessioned	2024-04-26T09:07:09Z
dc.date.available	2024-04-26T09:07:09Z
dc.date.issued	2013-01-01
dc.description.abstract	This study examines factors influencing teacher attrition in public secondary schools in Kabul, Afghanistan. Substantial increments in the school-age population, the Education for All (EFA) mandate, and a “seven-fold” growth in number of students during the last decade have collectively increased the demand for teachers in Afghanistan; whereas, teachers from the public schools are leaving the teaching profession in large numbers. The lack of teachers poses serious challenges for the education system especially for Ministry of Education. This exploratory study focuses on the reasons for the departure of both current and former teachers. It also explores and suggests some strategies to address this phenomenon. The study used a mixed method approach, using questionnaires, interviews and observations to collect data. A total of 44 current teachers and 18 former teachers were asked to respond to the questionnaires, while 2 current teachers, 3 former teachers, a principal, a student, and a member of Information Education Management Information System (EMIS) were interviewed. The results of this study revealed that low salary is only one of the major factors for teacher attrition in Afghanistan. The study also found multiple other factors that influence teacher attrition including ineffective recruitment and deployment process (school distance); heavy workload; unequal work distribution and administration corruption; low salaries and other benefits; lack of professional development programs; and social factors. The study concluded that in some cases, only one of these factors causes the attrition while in many cases, a number of factors collectively compel teachers to leave their jobs. Recommendations suggest the need to reform policies, to restructure organizations, to increase teacher support, and to promote stakeholder engagement.
dc.description.pages	1-114
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14394/7636
dc.relation.url	https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=cie_capstones&unstamped=1
dc.source.status	published
dc.subject	Teacher Attrition
dc.subject	Public Secondary Schools
dc.subject	Kabul
dc.subject	Afghanistan
dc.subject	Education for All
dc.subject	EFA
dc.subject	Departure
dc.subject	Interviews
dc.subject	Observations
dc.subject	Questionnaires
dc.subject	Salary
dc.subject	Stakeholder Engagement
dc.subject	Support
dc.subject	Professional Development
dc.subject	Recommendations
dc.subject	Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education
dc.subject	Business
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	Educational Administration and Supervision
dc.subject	Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
dc.subject	Education Economics
dc.subject	International and Comparative Education
dc.subject	Law
dc.title	Teacher Attrition: Why Secondary School Teachers Leave the Profession in Afghanistan
dc.type	openaccess
dc.type	article
digcom.contributor.author	Aslami, Hassan
digcom.identifier	cie_capstones/23
digcom.identifier.contextkey	7307387
digcom.identifier.submissionpath	cie_capstones/23
dspace.entity.type	Publication