Teachers' Pay and Professional Status in Tanzania

Teaching is a noble profession. It requires commitment, competence, and good content knowledge. One would expect therefore, that the higher the level of education a teacher has the greater status he or she would have in society; and that the great number of graduate teachers in the field, the greater the status will be for the profession. Today the professionalism of graduate and non-degree holding teachers in Tanzania is nearly the same. While the growing number of graduate teachers has to perform their role to improve their pay and professional status, the results show that government also has to play its part. The public still need to respect the teaching profession but the challenges within the profession discourage the public from valuing the profession. Teachers' pay is among many factors that contribute to teacher's professional status. The study recommends that graduate teachers need to play an active role in improving their public image. This can only be done by delivering quality education, improving examination results, and by professional association with non-qualified teachers.