STEP-EA

Supporting Teacher Education, Well-being, and Retention to Inform Feasible Policies and Incentives in Africa

Project information

Project	Supporting Teacher Education, Well- being, and Retention to Inform Feasible Policies and Incentives in Africa – STEP-EA
Duration	15.5.2025-14.11.2026
Partners	HAMK (Coordinator), University of Nairobi, Egerton University, Dar es Salaam University College of Education, Mkwawa University College of Education The University of Juba
Funders	The European Commission- Global Gateway
Budget	681 050 €

We research new theoretical perspectives on teachers’ professional agency, well-being, and commitment. How these connect to the social and cultural aspects of their work environment?

We focus on improving teachers’ well-being and retention in Kenya, South Sudan, and Tanzania. We study why teachers stay or leave their jobs, using both numbers and personal stories. Our goal is to better understand how teachers feel, how much control they have over their work, and how committed they are. We also want to give useful advice for education policies, teacher training, and schools in Africa.

Target group

Early childhood, Primary and Lower Secondary Education
Teacher Education Institutions
Policymakers
Local Education Officers
Teachers
Civil Society Organizations
Ministry Officials and Government Departments
School Leadership and Management

Operating area

We operate in three East African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, South-Sudan.

Take a look to our video for further information about STEP-EA.

Our main objectives

Inform educational policies and teacher education curricula, and to introduce well-being strategies and agency-promoting school leadership practices to enhance teacher wellbeing, motivation and retention, based on research evidence.
Examine educational policies, their implementation and teacher education curricula in relation to teachers’ wellbeing and the planning and management of teachers’ work.
Explore the connections between teachers’ working conditions (e.g. availability of resources, educational policies, school leadership and management practices), well-being, professional agency and commitment.
Identify best practices for teachers agentic and sustainable working in fragile and refugee contexts to inform regional policy alignments.