CHALLENGES FACED BY ZIMBABWE’S PUBLIC AND PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN IMPLEMENTING STAFF RETENTION STRATEGIES: RETURNEE LECTURERS’ PERSPECTIVE

This excerpt from an ongoing thesis currently under examination for the November 2014 graduation period examined challenges faced by Zimbabwe’s public and private universities in implementing staff retention strategies from a Returnee Lecturers’ Perspective. Seven participants were selected using criterion sampling from two public and two private universities. The study was a qualitative multiple-case study in outlook. The open-ended face-to-face interview method was complemented by observation and documentary analysis methods in gathering data. N Vivo, a qualitative data analysis was used to analyse research data. The study established that money was the greatest challenge in all the studied universities. It also highlighted that lack of attractive conditions of services in some of the private universities tend to increase the lecturer quit rates more than what obtains in the public universities. The study concluded that lack of funds undermines all university activities inclusive of staff retention in the studied universities. Another conclusion was that private universities were challenged in retaining staff by lack of government support in the form of salary payment to lecturers and grants like the ones given to private schools. The study recommends that the Government needs to be involved in the funding operations of private universities in the similar manner it does to private schools by paying lecturers’ salaries and giving grants and subversions because it is the government’s duty to educate its citizens.