Contract Type and Teacher Absenteeism in Benin: The Role of Teacher’s Supplemental Income
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Date
2021-07-15
Authors
Senou, Barthelemy Mahugnon
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Economic Research Consortium
Abstract
Absenteeism is a phenomenon that has been noted in professional circles with
consequences on the income of the wage earner as well as the profits of the firm,
consequences that led, according to statistics from 2005, to losses in public finance
amounting to close to 70 billion francs for the Government of Benin. Despite such
losses, very few studies in economics have focused on the subject in order to try
and give an understanding of the real causes of absenteeism and its consequences.
The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between the status of the
teacher, supplemental income of the teacher, and the absenteeism of the teacher.
Using data from PASEC-CONFEMEN 2005, that will be applied to a theoretical model
that we are developing, and through the use of a Tobit empirical method, after having
taken the endogeneity bias on the practice of supplemental income generating
activities by the teacher into account, this study demonstrates that the practice of
income generating activities by teachers positively influences their absenteeism, with
contract teachers being more frequently absent than those who are on permanent and
pensionable employment contracts. Through linking the level of prices in a locality
with absenteeism behaviours, we make it clear that the reasons for absenteeism are
mostly related to low purchasing power in the context of earning relatively meagre
salaries. These results elicit a set of recommendations that essentially suggest that
there should be an improvement in the salaries and working conditions of teachers.