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ountries with exception of Sierra Leone and Rwanda. Conversely, in neighboring countries like Kenya, Uganda and Zambia teachers’ salaries are relatively higher than in Tanzania. Additional to this, in Uganda teachers get 20 percent and 30 percent of their salaries as s housing and hardship allowances respectively (Sonyolo, 2007).

As a result of low pay, some of teachers are not teaching well, and even cases of absenteeism arise. For instance, in Tanzania the government pays salaries through electronic transfer via banks. Therefore, teachers from rural areas need to travel long distance to collect their salaries from district centers in each month. Sometimes they have to spend three or more days waiting for the salary when it is delayed. In this regards teachers forced to miss a number of classes in every month. In the meantime, students would losing a lot of valuable learning time which eventually affecting their performance. This is said to be one of the major causes of teachers’ absenteeism in rural schools (Sonyolo, 2007). But on the other hand, this becomes a burden to teachers since they have to incur additional costs which they have to deduct from their little salary. These contribute to disgruntle qualified teachers to join teaching profession or posted in remote schools.

According to the study conducted on effects of increase of salary and incentives of the teachers on learning outcomes, the research findings revealed as follows:

“In Chile, a salary increase of 156 percent associated with 39 percent increase in number of teacher-education applicants and 16 percent increase in average test scores applicants. Similar test-score increase not observed among applicants to other university programs.” (Vagas and Petrow: 2008:128).

3.3.3:Limited opportunities for professional development

Teacher professional development can be defined “as the process of improving both the teacher’s academic standing, competence and efficiency ... so as to allow him/her to discharge professional obligations in and outside the classroom.”(Komba and Nkumbi, 2008:70). Professional development gives opportunities to explore new roles, increase new teaching skills, improve their practice, and broaden their mindsets both as professionals and individuals (Komba and Mwakyanuzi). In education system teachers’ education plays a prime role to ensure quality education for all. Nevertheless, in the most of the developing countries education programs usually used to neglect the teacher education and professional advancement. The experience has shown that even in the ‘World Declaration on Education for All in 1990’ the continuous preparation of teachers received little attention (Kruijer, 2010). Besides, Vagas and Petrow argue that, “the initial education of teachers is only first steps in a series of important steps allow teachers to grow and develop professionally over time.”(2008:117). Then the need for teachers’ professional development is inevitable since it gives teachers competence, confidence and make them improving the standards of the job performance.

In this regard Tanzania during the implementation of the Primary Education Development Program (PEDP) from 2001 to 2006 focused on universalization of primary education; the program did not put much attention on development of teacher professional (Komba and Nkumbi, 2008). The gover