Teacher Attraction VS Teacher Attrition

Gentle tides of ocean attract more beachcombers to beachfront, but this one is Tsunami. 

Annual Education Statistics 2018 reveled one of the highest teacher attrition rate of 4.02%, the highest being 5% in year 2010. By liberty of choices and likes, attrition is normal trend of human resource dynamism indicating living nature of an organization, however, by our standard ‘4.02% Teacher Attrition’ is of skyrocketing level which is cause of concern.
Of 355 teacher who left the system, 263 resigned voluntarily which calculates to 2.98% of total teachers. This indicates that 263 teachers had been thinking of resigning from education system almost every day and in every session s/he taught. This may not sound logical conclusion but it is likely conclusion.  On average, from the available data of past ten years around 2.32% of teacher resigned voluntarily. Thus, it may not be wrong to predict that at least 2.32% of teachers will think (consciously/sub-consciously) of leaving the teaching profession in next academic session almost every day in every teaching period. For the past ten years, 64.32% of the total resigned teachers resigned voluntarily on average and trend line shows linear increase over the years.

Calculated based on Annual Education Statistics 2018. 

Is the pasture on other side getting greener or is our pasture getting drier?

As mentioned attrition is normal but increasing rate of attrition with increasing trend of voluntary resignation should concern the nation. What is normal is few parts of machine breaking down, what is not is when many parts breakdown. Although voluntary resignation can be attributed to numerous causes, one pertinent question that can be asked is: Is the pasture on other side getting greener or is our pasture getting drier? This question may need deliberation, but answers are easily found in the figures on our table.
Short span of my teaching experience was vouchsafed with numerous drives and changes. Education system was often showered with commendable initiatives for improvement. Overall, education system underwent far-reaching change under right leadership and positive minded people. There is no denying that it is honour to work as teacher and this pride may not die with death either. My willingness to work as teacher which is superseded by honour is seeded deeper than my experience. This willingness is more profound than my knowledge.
However, when talks of teacher attrition are around following best or may be the worst thoughts wreck my nimble mind. If, if ever, we are to embark on journey to reduce teacher attrition and attract teachers to profession, taking teacher’s perspective into account may be far fetching than wisdom of experts.

1. Professional Autonomy
A teacher was once asked, “If you are to leave the teaching profession, what will be the first reason?” The answer required no much thinking. It was as prompt as always. “Lack of professional autonomy.” 

Teachers should be allowed to exercise their full professional knowledge and judgment both independently and collectively for respectful and inspiring working conditions for teachers. With increasing managerial control over teachers’ professionalism, teaching is in stake of becoming unexciting job. It will not be surprise for any teachers if the managers prefer to applause you for doing non-teaching job over the great teaching job. With increasing external pressures and requirement (agencies other than school) teachers are required do yards and yards of paper-work, miscellaneous development plans and projects that consume preparatory and delivery time. Therefore, professionally, teachers have lost their autonomy as their teaching and preparation time is taken away by bureaucratic red tape with burdensome administrative requirement to multitask to which teachers have no control except that we moan to each other like hell.

2. Pay
A group of friends decided to dine in the same hotel that they use to eat during their school time. Since everyone in the group is employed, they decided to pay bills individually. Everyone had good time. It was time to pay the bill and they all went to counter. One of them was teacher and he was last in the row. All his friends were done paying the bill, the teacher went in and whispered, “Please write it in the credit book. I’ll pay by the end of this month.” 

Should teachers' pay be considered important for teachers’ job satisfaction? Yes, definitely, but not for the greed for teachers, it is for the social security and financial stability of teachers as well for the better and brighter future of students. Ill financed teachers cannot perform well because s/he will be compelled to take other jobs such as carpentry, besides teaching for little extra money to finance domestic affairs. When we have to pay the bills, finance education of children, feed family and attend to domestic affairs we are no exception. We cannot justify that teachers don’t have money and cannot shy away. Financial stability and security, as you may know, is not want anymore. It is need of time. To make this stance reliable, let’s do a simple math:
Loan repayment: Nu. 10289 per month (for principle amount of Nu. 500000 that teacher take for various need)
House rent: Nu. 3000 (on average in semi-urban settings)
Insurance: Nu.1000 (estimate, for self/children)
Total: Nu. 14290. Now you can calculate what is left for other expenditure.

It is a heart wrenching fact that our country is economically poor. Conversely, isn’t it more painful to keep teachers financially handicapped amidst rising living standard and growing number of rich civil servants? I may not have knowledge to suggest the amount each teacher should be paid yet handsome pay is commendable for teachers.

3. Professional Development
Paid professional developments (workshops/training) are gem in two sense: Its importance and rarity. 

Morality and confidence of teacher depend on the knowledge and wisdom he possess. World has plenty for teachers to learn yet what many of us know can be easily concealed in flea hide. The more teachers know, the more she can deliver and the more students will learn. This co-relation is simple and does not necessitate much elucidation. It’s just a common sense. Against such backdrop, it’s another story of buffalo waiting for salt for many of the teachers.
The Bhutanese on November 7, 2018 ran a story that calculated each civil servants spending Nu 59,323 for in country travel upon ‘rough break up’ as of June 2018, which sums to Nu. 1.718 billion. TA/DSA make major chunk of earning for many of the civil servants. Some earn lion’s share of it: more than their monthly salary. Despite the above figure, amount of TA/DSA earned by teachers may only compute to few thousand per teacher per year. (It is not always about the money though, it may be wise to talk about reality.)
Teachers’ job nature obliges us to spend most of our time in school. This does not nonetheless mean that nothing can be done for professional development of teachers. Teachers require lot of leaning which may entail lot more investment and fair investment for all teachers to ensure equal professional progression of all teachers.

4. Increasing Workload and Wheel of Change
A donkey had to carry two bags of rice every day. The donkey once complained of heavy load and the owner promised to reduce the load. He was then made to carry one bag of iron ball. He felt that it was lot heavier than rice bags and asked for change. He was then loaded with hundred balls of cotton and made to walk in the rain. 

Agreeably, lot has been to done to reduce teachers’ workload such as recruitment of wardens, matrons, Sport Instructors and Administrative Officers. However, teachers’ workload is nothing short of overload and teachers usually complain of heavy workload. Increasing workload makes teaching stressful and teachers don’t find teaching as mentally healthy job. Increasing workload has negative impact to teacher retention. What can be done to reduce teachers’ workload? The answer is easy, may be easy said than done. Reduce redundant paper works, minimize administrative burden and shave off rudimentary/pointless concepts from curriculum to name few.
Changes are vital essence of thriving society except when changes come as surprise. In democratic institutions, major changes must be done in consultation with all stakeholders involved. In contrary, some of the changes come as surprise which has negative impact on teachers’ working condition that may reduce teacher attraction to the profession.

In the hierarchy of importance, teachers are not backbone of education, they are spinal cord.  Sound teacher-policy should be the backbone that protect teachers supported by teacher sustaining and attracting elements.
A poetic rendition during ‘Teacher’s Day’ cannot convince teachers to be in the profession. A fabulous praise sung to the melodious tune of flute and Dramnyen cannot make teachers happy. Sound policy for happy teachers is need of the time.

The time is for attraction, not attrition.