Wastage Rate Of Education Graduates From University Of Malawi, Chancellor College - 2005 To 2009

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw

Many secondary-teacher graduates from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College do not enter the teaching profession. This study investigates the education-graduate wastage rate between 2005 and 2009. Cross-sectional data (n=760) were collected through document analysis, structured interviews, and telephone- and self-administered questionnaires. Findings show wastage up to 12.0%, with gender differences (χ2=4.992, p=0.03), driven by limited professional development opportunities, inadequate salaries, and alternative employment options.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

The Context of the Problem

Wastage Rate Of Education Graduates From University Of Malawi, Chancellor College From 2005 To 2009 Wanangwa W. N. Chikazinga Bob W. Chulu Richard W. Nyirongo ABSTRACT Reports have shown that many students that graduate as secondary teachers from the University of Malawi do not enter the teaching profession. The purpose of this study was to investigate the wastage rate of education graduates from University of Malawi, Chancellor College from 2005 to 2009. Cross-sectional data were collected from the total population of education graduates from 2005 to 2009 (n=760) through document analysis, structured interviews, and telephone-administered and self-administered structured questionnaires. The study revealed a wastage rate as high as 12.0%. Using the χ2 test of homogeneity, the calculated χ2 (1df) = 4.992, p = 0.03, exceeded the critical value ofχ20.05 (1df) = 3.84 denoting that there was a difference in wastage rate in terms of gender and that more female (R= 1.842) than male (R= -1.00) graduates were likely to decline to enter the teaching profession. The study established that the most important factors influencing teacher wastage were lack of opportunities for professional development, inadequate teacher salary and availability ofalternative employment. The implication of these findings entails: projections of teacher supply that do not take into account the wastage rate are bound to be inevitably inaccurate and fundamentals that attract people to an occupation should be addressed in the teaching profession without which teacher wastage would remain a major challenge. INTRODUCTION The success of expanded access to primary education in many countries in SubSahara Africa including Malawi, has pushed both governments and donors to turn their attention toward establishing a more widely accessible, more relevant and high quality secondary education (Mulkeen, Chapman, DeJaeghere & Leu, 2007) . As such, teacher policy and planning becomes very central to the challenges of both expansion and quality of education at all levels. This is because qualified teachers are indispensable; they form the firm edifice of educational development and play a fundamental role in determining quality, effectiveness and relevance of education which is recognized as a precondition to achieving poverty eradication, sustainable human development and equity. Increased effort has to be put to expand secondary education in response to the need for qualified secondary school teachers. Paradoxically, the supply of qualified secondary teachers has not increased rapidly enough to match with the demand (Ministry of Education, 2007) . The perennial shortfall in teacher supply seems not only to be confined to the concern for numbers but quality as well. It has been ubiquitously observed that teacher training institutions in Malawi are characterized by very low institutional output of teachers. The total institutional output from all institutions has probably stalled at 450 teachers per year (Ministry of Education, 2007) while 2000 new secondary teacher are needed to meet the Educational Planning 5 Vol. 21, No. 4 demand every year. As a result, the shortage of qualified secondary teachers in general and in certain subjects and geographical areas in particular has continued to be a matter of serious concern for policy makers, education planners and schools in Malawi (Centre for Education Research and Training [CERT], 2005). The gravity of teacher shortages has been well manifested by three potential measures “vacancy rates”,“out-of-field teaching” and“hidden shortages”(Santiago, 2002, p.22) . Vacancy rate refers to the number of unfilled vacancies for teachers while hidden shortage or out-of-field teaching is a scenario where teaching is carried out by someone not qualified to teach the subject (Wilson & Pearson, 1993) . Studies in Malawi confirm that the exorbitant number of teachers in the secondary education system are either unqualified or unde

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

To investigate the wastage rate of education graduates from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College from 2005 to 2009.

How was the data collected for the study?

Cross-sectional data (n=760) were collected from education graduates using document analysis, structured interviews, and telephone- and self-administered structured questionnaires.

What were the key factors influencing teacher wastage?

Lack of opportunities for professional development, inadequate teacher salary, and availability of alternative employment.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw