A comparative perspective of academic brain drain at selected universities in Ethiopia and South Africa.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the possible factors contributing to the intention of scholarly
staff to withdraw at three sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) universities, specifically at Addis Ababa
University (AAU), Haramaya University (HU) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
The information was gathered from 596 scholastic staff individuals and 29 purposively chosen
key sources who are senior scholarly individuals who have been working in different managerial
positions as dignitaries, scholarly pioneers or heads of offices, deputy-vice chancellors and vice
presidents at the three universities.
The investigation comprised a mixed methods research approach whereby the quantitative
information was gathered by means of surveys and the qualitative information was by means of
face-to-face personal meetings. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilised to break
down quantitative information using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)
programming version 24, while thematic analysis was utilised to dissect subjective information.
Examination of the data demonstrated that selected demographic factors predicted the intention
of scholarly staff to depart from the two Ethiopian universities whereas none of the factors
predicted this at UKZN.
Notwithstanding the above findings, the impact of selected factors on the scholarly staff’s
intention to withdraw uncovered that the job-related attributes of the quality of work life
(QWL_JC), procedural justice (OJ_PJ) and rewards and benefits (R&B) dimensions were
noteworthy for AAU. The examination of subjective information demonstrated that
compensation, poor working conditions and poor maintenance approaches and systems are of the
key reasons why academic scholars intend to leave their institutions. On the contrary, the job
characteristics dimension of QWL, leader-subordinate relationship (LMX) and R&B were found
to be significantly influencing academic staff’s propensity to leave Haramaya University. In this
regard, subjective outcomes demonstrate that aspects such as compensation, poor working
conditions, poor retention policies and strategies, politics and legislative issues, lack of
appropriate technology and infrastructure, a sentiment of dissatisfaction, absence of adaptable
guidelines and structures, and geographic setting of the university were the reasons causing
academic staff to depart at HU. In contrast to this, only R&B were found to be significant at
UKZN. In addition, analysis of qualitative information revealed that remuneration, poor working
conditions, dissatisfaction, and retirement are the main reasons for the propensity of academic
staff to depart. Based on the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, conclusions have
been drawn and key recommendations have been forwarded to help the institutions retain their
academics.
Description
Doctoral Degree, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.