CBMP Analytical Report Part 1 - Transparency and Accountability ...

Box 2: Teachers Coping Strategies
I for one, I teach in STD 8, and has been a teacher for 15
years. I have never received my salary on the actual pay
day, yet I am expected to teach even in the afternoon as
I try to prepare the class for MANEB exams. I take loans
every month and I end up in trouble because I have no
time to do aternative business. This makes me just
absent myself for one or two days to sort out my
personal issues in worst times. – Teacher in Mulanje
Primary School
Let me be honest with you… the MOEST deliberately
posts few teachers here in rural areas & expects us to
teach all classes while those in town teach one subject
then go for personal businesses. Thus, I have engaged
myself in serious tobacco growing enterprise, and I have
since bought a minibus & can compete with those in
town in terms of wealth. Thus, I think teaching is now
secondary to me. In fact I would like to be teaching in
lower classes so that by 11:00am, I knock-off and go to
the tobacco field – Teacher, Kasungu
Agriculture is the only alternative here. Otherwise, the
salary is too low, comes late and yet people expect us to
survive well as ‘people at work’ and the society views us
as such – Teacher, Mzimba
Other teachers, if not many of
them, also engage in business and
agriculture. Looking closely at
agriculture enterprises such as
tobacco growing (more practiced
in Kasungu) are labour intensive
and time consuming before the
person would realize benefits. For
example, intensive tobacco
nursery is done as early as August
and September while selling is
done in around May – June.
Thus, if a teacher engages oneself
in serious tobacco enterprise (as is
the case in Kasungu), most of the
time will be dedicated and spent on tobacco compared to that of delivering teaching
services. As quotes attest in the box, the more the alternatives to cope with salary
delays, the less the time teachers have for delivery of quality teaching services. This
would be exacerbated by the shortage of teachers in many parts of these districts,
especially rural areas. Coincidentally, salaries delay most in rural areas, most of these
coping mechanisms are highly practiced in rural areas (77.3%) and teacher shortage is
also high in these rural areas. The correlation means that delivery of quality teaching
services would be low in the rural areas compared to urban areas. Yet, Malawi is 85%
rural and 85% of the schools are in these rural areas, implying that 85% of these
schools are affected by the issue.
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