Teacher retention and quality education: Impact of rural incentives in North-West, South Africa

Abstract

In order to retain current qualified teachers in rural schools, largely in inaccessible areas, since they have the necessary skills and qualifications, a policy on incentives was signed by the education minister and published in the Government Gazette no 30678 on 18 January 2008. Its establishment was because rural areas are characterised by factors that negatively influence delivery of quality education. The problem is that ever since the introduction of the Teachers Rural Incentive Scheme, the latter has never been evaluated to validate its design objectives and projected impact. This article investigated, through an evaluative survey, the impact of rural incentives in retaining teachers and ensuring quality education in the rural schools of the North West Department of Education in South Africa. In an emerging economy such as South Africa, quality education becomes a yardstick for global comparability.