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This paper provides a case study of teacher retention in rural Uganda focussing on the importance of rural experience and cultural connections. We argue that this study illustrates how rural parents and teachers reciprocally influence each other, and that homegrown and culturally-similar rural teachers bridge parents with the school both linguistically and through engagement in common community and cultural practices. While this case study illustrates the uniqueness of a particularly understudied African context, we suggest that the phenomenon of attracting homegrown and culturally-similar teachers is a complex and socio-culturally specific practice that, if intentionally supported, holds potential benefits for hard-to-staff schools. This work suggests the value of international case studies of teacher retention in diverse contexts.

This paper explores a little understood aspect of education labour markets, the tendency for teachers to simultaneously engage in both white-collar side-hustle and blue-collar or land-based entrepreneurial activities. The papers argues that teacher’s engagement in multiple activities such as moonlighting and agriculture in rural community enhances their income and this helps to compensate for wage differentials with their urban counterparts. This practice is also associated with teacher retention and community integration of teachers which is a common challenge relating to rural school staffing. We suggest that the phenomenon of non-education related teacher side-hustles, which are typically understood to be problematic, is a more complex issue and a practice which may have potential benefits for hard-to-staff schools.

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