Teacher Retention, Well-being and Educational Effectiveness: Administrative Strategies to Combat Burnout and Attrition in 2020s Schools

Teacher retention and well-being have emerged as critical concerns in the 2020s due to increasing workloads, heightened accountability demands, post-pandemic educational challenges, and growing rates of teacher burnout and attrition. This study investigated administrative strategies for promoting teacher retention and enhancing teacher well-being in selected public secondary schools in North Central Nigeria. The study was guided by the need to identify factors contributing to teacher burnout and attrition, examine the impact of burnout on teacher retention, and determine effective administrative interventions capable of reducing teachers’ burnout in order to improve teachers’ professional experiences and commitment to the profession. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised teachers, principals, vice-principals, counsellors, and educational administrators from selected public secondary schools across North Central Nigeria. Using stratified random sampling techniques, a sample of 560 respondents was selected. Data were collected using a researcher-developed instrument titled Teacher Retention and Well-being Questionnaire (TRWQ). The instrument was validated by experts in educational management and guidance and counselling, while a reliability coefficient of 0.87 was obtained using Cronbach’s Alpha. Data were analysed using mean scores, standard deviations, and t-tests. The findings revealed that excessive workload, inadequate administrative support, poor work-life balance, insufficient recognition, poor remuneration and emotional exhaustion were major contributors to teacher burnout and attrition. The study further found that supportive leadership, teacher recognition programmes, professional development opportunities, counselling services, participatory decision-making, and effective workload management significantly enhanced teacher well-being and retention. The study concludes that institutionalising transparent recruitment, fair remuneration, equitable professional development, recognition initiatives, and wellness programmes are essential for sustaining teacher commitment and educational effectiveness. These recommendations align with global warnings from OECD and UNESCO that rising teacher shortages threaten the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 4. Strengthening administrative practices in Nigeria’s schools is therefore critical to building a resilient teaching workforce capable of advancing national development goals.