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Education systems grew rapidly in response to both increasing population and increasing participation rate in many developing countries. To this end, the importance of the role of the teacher as an agent of change, promoting understanding and tolerance has never been more obvious than today. More specifically, teachers are the key elements to the success or failure of schools, and to a large extent, of the younger generations. However, high teacher attrition is causing problems with educational quality, equity and efficiency. Because of this, the issue of retaining effective teachers in schools needs to be a basic policy concern.

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Temesgen Birega, M.A. in Educational Planning and Management from Addis Ababa University. He served as school director and head of Planning and Programming Service at Capacity Building Bureau. Currently, he is a Lecturer and head of Academic Development Team at Institute of Continuing and Distance Education of Ethiopian Civil Service College.

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