EMPLOYEES’ REWARDS AND JOB COMMITMENT AMONG PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Globally, effective reward practices are among the major motivational tools for enhancing job performance and commitment of teachers. In Nigeria, job commitment among teachers has become an issue of concern. Previous studies on teachers’ job commitment have largely focused on poor working environment, government policies and inadequate monitoring with little attention paid to the contribution of rewards system on teachers’ job commitment, especially at the secondary level. This study was therefore, designed to investigate employees’ rewards and job commitment among public secondary school teachers in Ogun State, Nigeria. Structural Functionalist and Expectancy theories provided the framework. Research design was cross-sectional. Multi stage sampling was adopted; Ogun State was stratified into three senatorial districts: Ogun Central, Ogun West and Ogun East. Thirty secondary schools were randomly selected, while Cochran’s (1977) formula was used to identify 750 respondents selected from public secondary school teachers. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information on socio-demographic characteristics of respondents, types of rewards, and effects of rewards on teachers’ job commitment. Job commitment was measured using Meyer’s scale, categorised as low (>2.49), moderate (2.50-3.99) and high (>4.00). Employees’ rewards was measured using 3-point scale with 18-items categorised as low rewards (≤26), moderate rewards (27-45) and high rewards (>46). Nine key-informant interviews were conducted with three officials each from Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Teaching Service Commission, and retired educationists to elicit information on the challenges faced by the government and the perceived decline in the quality of public secondary education in the State. Eleven In-depth interviews were conducted with Teachers union executive members to ascertain their effort towards improved teachers’ rewards. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics p≤0.05 and qualitative data were content-analysed.

Respondents’ age was 40.5±3.3 years, 57.0% were female, 85.5% were married, 91.2% had tertiary education and 14.7% earned less than N50,000 monthly. Types of rewards available included financial rewards- (medical allowance; 26.2%; 2.46; leave bonuses; 22.9%; 2.26; transport allowance; 77.1%; 4.01 and Teachers Peculiar Allowance; 75.1%; 4.03) and non-financial rewards- (recognition; 35.4%; 2.43 and On-the-job training; 37.4%; 2.39). There was a positive but weak relationship between financial rewards and teachers job commitment (r =.56). Non-financial rewards (r =.72) had negative effects on teachers commitment. There was strong correlation between rewards and job commitment in terms of intention to quit (r = .86), lateness to work (r = .88), and low morale (r = .79). The State government was faced with financial challenges due to drastic fall in federal allocations. Unemployment and economic recession were the major reasons why teachers engaged in teaching, which resulted in low job commitment and decline in quality of public secondary education. The NUT mobilised its members to embark on strike actions to press home their demands for improved condition of service. Low rewards led to low job commitment among public secondary school teachers in Ogun State. Therefore, the State government should appreciate and reward teachers adequately and employ only interested and competent teachers.