Human Resource Management practices in private schools: a case study of the challenges faced by managers in motivation and retention of teachers in Nairobi

Abstract

This study is on the Human Resources Management Practices in Private Secondary Schools in Nairobi. The main objective of the study was to determine the effective application of Human resources practices by school managers. The study falls in to two parts: the preamble and the main text. The preamble contains the dedication, acknowledgements, table of contents and list of abbreviations. The main text consists of five chapters:

Chapter one covers the General Introduction and consists of an introduction, background to the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, significance, scope and limitations and definition of terms.

Chapter two covers the literature review drawn from international and local literally works. The chapter covers sub-sections on the management functions in private secondary schools, motivation systems, the challenges that managers face in motivating staff and the theoretical work. A list of references made is appended after chapter three.

Chapter three is the research methodology, covering research design, study population, sample and sampling procedures, data collection procedures research instruments, data type, source, instruments and data collection and analysis methods.

Chapter four has presented how data was analyzed and presented in tables, graphs and percentages. The problems and challenges facing teachers and school managers were analysed. Responses from the respondents showed the various factors that influence their work and affect their motivational levels. The main findings in this study are that the private school management does not keep their staff highly motivated, hence the high turnover in these schools.

Chapter five is a wrap up to the study and gives the summary, conclusion and recommendations both for policy making and for research. The main conclusion made here is that teachers in the private secondary schools are generally de-motivated. The study therefore, recommends that the management of these schools should device ways of consistently motivating teachers, on the basis of proposed guidelines. The report ends with some appendices on the questionnaires for the teachers and school managers, letters of confirmation and authorization of the study from MOEST and the list of the private secondary schools in Nairobi, which acted as a sampling frame for this study.