Motivation is key to service delivery and the realisation that human capital is the biggest asset of each and every organisation in the world, will jostle responsible authorities to consider the plight of workers.
Known theories of motivation that include Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, McClelland’s theory of needs, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, Vroom’s Expectancy theory, Achievement Goal theory, Attribution theory, Incentive theory play a significant role in staff retention.
When we talk of brain drain, many would think it is only the medical field that is affected, alas, higher education is in deep trouble.
Primary and secondary education has also faced numerous challenges in terms of worker turn over emanating from poor working conditions, poor remuneration and general lack of incentives.
The country continues to bleed with incessant loss of skilled personnel and if this remains unabated, there is gross potential to reduce the quality of education in the country.
Lecturers at colleges and universities are leaving the country en masse and action is needed to curb this disease so that the country will stop hemorrhaging.
The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education has a huge and daunting task ahead of him if he needs to preserve the integrity of our education in the country.
Media reports claim that at least 7 000 health workers have migrated to greener pastures in the last three years with the United Kingdom topping the list of beneficiaries.
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Nurses, care workers, laboratory scientists, doctors, pharmacists continue to leave the country citing unbearable working conditions.
The salaries paid cannot sustain their families considering the fact that many of the workers are tenants who cannot afford the extortionate rentals being charged.
Imagine getting a meagre US$250 dollars against rentals of close to US$500 for a full house, US$200 average monthly as school fees for a mission boarding school, US$150 as grocery money per month plus other costs that include transport to and from work.
The salary is not pleasing at all and many people are suffering in silence with failure to meet even 30% of their financial obligations.
It is sad that inflation continues to sky-rocket against stagnant salaries with threat of complete annihilation of the buying power.
My heart bled when I saw one deputy dean at one of the state universities walking on foot. Imagined how difficult life is when a whole professor could not afford to drive to work.
Was it that he had no car or he had no fuel to drive to work, all that continued to linger in my brain. If the deputy dean professor is belittled to this level, then I wonder how the junior staff is managing!
Will the students hold the maximum respect for their lecturers who can come to students to ask for a lift to town?
Government should understand the level of dedication and diligence exhibited by the tutors who are remaining in the country.
These lecturers are the true pillars of our education system and it is therefore prudent to recognise them both intrinsically and extrinsically if we are to consider Herzberg’s two factor theory.
Can the Higher and Tertiary Education ministry be active enough to address challenges bedeviling the higher education sector?
Are there no special non-monetary incentives to motivate our hard-working lectures?
How can we boast of education 5.0 when we are deserted by highly-skilled tutors under our watch?
The country has vast tracts of land which can be easily converted to residential land to benefit such important personnel, alas, land barons grab the same land for self-aggrandizement and most of them remain scot-free.
There have been numerous threats of arrest of such land barons but it seems the prosecution has not been a deterrent exercise as many of them are super rich to apply for bail even at the highest courts.
This is the time to consider the plight of lecturers.
Higher Education minister Fredrick Shava should prove his mettle and address the challenges facing his lecturers.
The national purse keeper, Professor Mthuli Ncube should understand what it takes to be a professor.
Our education system should remain strong forever.
