The Contribution of Local Government Authorities in Addressing Teacher Motivation in Public Secondary Schools in Tanzania: A Case of Dodoma Municipality

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of local government authorities in addressing teacher motivation in public secondary schools in Tanzania. The study had three objectives, namely; to examine the role played by local government authorities (LGAs) informing, promoting and sustaining secondary school teachers’ motivation in Dodoma municipality; to identify problems facing LGAs in promoting secondary school teachers’ motivation in Dodoma municipality; and to explore possible initiatives that LGAs can undertake to enhance motivation to secondary school teachers in Dodoma municipality. The theoretical framework adopted for the study was a modified concept of Herzberg’s theory. Data collection was done using questionnaires and interviews. Sixty teachers from six public secondary schools filled in the questionnaire. Interviews were administered to six heads of schools, one district secondary education officer, two zonal school inspectors and one district TTU official. The findings show that LGAs were making efforts to motivate teachers, though at low range. The motivation of teachers was found not to be sustainable as LGAs had no proper plans to provide teachers with the required motivation. On the other hand the LGAs were faced with several challenges in motivating teachers, these including poor parental support to schools and their development projects whereby parents refused to contribute money or their manpower in projects such as building of teachers’ houses or classrooms; poor implementation of targeted education plans and shortage of fund in the education sector which hindered the implementation of education plans by LGAs. LGAs also failed to improve teaching conditions in different schools. The study recommended that LGAs should establish mechanisms to ensure that teachers’ living conditions are improved; teachers’ overtime allowances are paid; teachers are promoted on time and incentives like leave travel assistance, salary, arrears and other claims are paid to the teachers