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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Perceptions of the Zimbabwe merit pay system for school teachers: an exploratory study |
Author: | Mpofu, Elias |
Year: | 1997 |
Periodical: | Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research (ISSN 1013-3445) |
Volume: | 9 |
Issue: | 2 |
Period: | July |
Pages: | 111-133 |
Language: | English |
Notes: | biblio. refs. |
Geographic terms: | Zimbabwe Southern Africa |
Subjects: | civil servants wages teachers education motivation |
Abstract: | In August 1990, the Zimbabwe Public Service Commission introduced a merit pay system for professional grades in the civil service, including teachers. Among the reasons for the introduction of the system were the need for performance motivation, inflation, and the general decentralization of civil service functions as well as possible changes in work values consequent upon the official adoption of a market forces economy since 1990. The present study identifies the views of teachers, school heads and education officers on the introduction of the merit pay system as well as the appraisal process and outcomes. Five hundred and fifty Zimbabwe primary and secondary school teachers, school heads and education officers drawn from all provinces of the country took part in the study, which was conducted in the period March-June 1993. The merit pay system was generally perceived as relevant to teaching, although differences in satisfaction with the system were observed for different levels of education personnel, with the more senior personnel expressing greater relative satisfaction. Organizationally lower placed personnel tended to perceive the system as biased. There were significant sex and tenure related differences in suggestions for improvement of the merit pay system. Bibliogr., sum. |