Identification of groups of secondary school teachers who leave the teaching profession in Malawi

Teacher loss is rampant in Malawian secondary schools, resulting in depletion of skilled and experienced teachers and consequently compromising student learning outcomes. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches, the study gathered data from different practitioners. Analysis of the findings reveals that there are three categories of teachers who tend to voluntarily leave teaching on various grounds. Unqualified teachers who have not received an in-service training to acquire a professional qualification in teaching leave because they are denied access to certain benefits professionally trained teachers get from the education system. Newly recruited teachers leave because of their inability to cope with the school conditions. Teachers who did not initially choose teaching for their college training leave because they are not committed to the profession. This study proposes improvements in teacher training and management to attract and keep quality and trained teachers in the secondary schools. Further research is, however, needed to establish the significance of these issues in the context of Malawi.