THE EFFECTS OF EMPLOYEE TRANSFER ON SECONDARY SCHOOLS PERFORMANCE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

During the last decade, many initiatives to modernize education and to optimize student learning have been taken into considerations in most schools in the world. Principles of cognitive psychology and constructivism are the basis for such innovations, which should eventually lead to „powerful learning environments‟ where teachers and head teachers are transferred from one school to others to the benefit of the education system. Such learning environments are aimed to reach the main goals of modern education in regard to acquisition of high-quality knowledge, problem-solving skills, self-directed learning skills, and transfer ability of knowledge and skills. In the literature several characteristics of a design of a powerful learning environment are described, like active knowledge construction, gradual transfer of responsibility especially among teachers who are transferred from one school to another one, and complex and realistic learning tasks (Könings et al, 2005). Globally teaching is considered a relatively large occupation. Teacher quality is the most important schooling input in the determination of student achievement given the central role the teacher plays in the education sector. However, it has been observed that teaching is increasingly an “occupation” with relatively high flows in, though, and out of school. The high rate of teacher mobility impacts negatively on school improvement efforts for it disrupts the stability and continuity of teaching (Feng and Sass, 2008).Teacher mobility characteristically involves teacher transfers or job change with the latter being strongly associated with teacher attrition in schools (Kreig, 2006). For example, if high quality teachers possess transferable skills that are valued in other occupations, then attrition will tend to erode average teacher quality. Given that this is a global phenomenon, governments all over the world are setting up measures to contain the situation using several incentives and policies (Mulkeen, 2005).

Since teacher is one of the most significant elements of education system. He/she is the compulsory figure for any learning program. His/her presence assures the accomplishment of the curriculum. Researchers and school administrators would agree that nothing affects students’ achievement more than the quality of their teachers. Each teacher is dierent than the other one in term of personality, attitude, and skills and in their dedication with their profession and the cause. Some teachers have initial knowledge of their profession some have extensive one. Some of them may be holder of advance degrees unlike other may possess minimum of the basics. Some teachers prefer to use the top down methodology in their teaching other one would like to follow bottom up methodology in the classroom. All of these differences become difficult to handle when all of them are to teach same subject to same students in the same session. It is assumed that frequently change of teacher during the session is harmful to academia. Situation becomes more acute when a teacher is transferred during the academic session and his replacement takes long time to be filled in future. Moreover it is not necessary that the new teacher has same philosophy as previous one. In public school this becomes a dilemma; when teacher avails any of promotions in the department or is transferred to other department. More specifically this situation is developed. When management transfers a teacher to a new position; · Sometimes it is done on the teachers’ request, · Sometimes it is done through administrative action As a request for transfer, a gape or a chain of problems turnout for the school administration and for the teacher and the students as well.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Even though secondary schools administrators also have been organizing seminars, training, and workshops and have implemented human resource policies in order to have competent teaching stas that are to provide good services to pupils in terms of teaching the applications for employees transfer in secondary school is exist, the performance of pupils in secondary schools in has been consistently poor due to the rate. It has been observed that the average total school term employees transfer rate is 4% for the period of starting a year. However rates are varying widely when compared over different period of time. Bad working condition, job dissatisfaction or the pursuit of another job, dissatisfaction with the support received from administrators, political propaganda, religion propaganda, shortage of transport allowance and bad behavior of the employees may be are the among the school employees transfer reasons from one school to another, moving to get a better teaching or working assignment, from these important reasons in their decision to move or to take transfer and hence give effects on school system (Armstrong, 2006).