Abstract

The study investigated the effects of motivation on the performance of Junior Secondary School teachers in Bo district, Southern Sierra Leone. It adopted a descriptive research design to collect data on a sample size of 298 teachers. The descriptive statistics analysis revealed that the performance of teachers was high; this implies that teachers rated their performance as of a high standard. They indicated that most teachers are not fulfilling their role as guidance counselors in the schools. On the other hand, over 80% of JSS teachers in Bo district, stated that they did not want to be teachers. Demotivation is a major debilitating factor in teachers' work performance, and the government needs to take motivating programs seriously to encourage and improve teacher performance. Areas such as school and pupil discipline, teacher performance, pupil attendance, community and parent participation in school activities, as well as the respect and dedication of the students, should be rewarded to serve as motivation. Parents and teachers could take legal actions against the government in International Courts of Human Rights related to education to improve their motivation so that performance can be of better quality. The action can be taken internally using the functions of the Public Ministry in defending the rights of minorities, in case the government decides not to respect the constitution. Pupils could also support the teachers and leaders through protests to seek the attention of civil society and local government for better motivation that could accelerate the quality performance of teachers.

Key words: Perception, teachers, performance, Sierra Leone.