The state of leadership practices in polytechnic colleges of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

The inadequacy of research into leadership in polytechnic colleges initiated the research to explore the state of leadership practices in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This study was guided by the constructivist paradigm. It followed a qualitative approach and employed grounded theory design. The study involved 26 participants who were selected through purposive sampling technique from three polytechnic colleges in Addis Ababa. Data were collected using three instruments: the structured interview, Focus Group Interview (FGI) and observation. The interviews were conducted face-to-face with Prime Deans (PDs) and officials. After that, the FGIs and observations were conducted to triangulate the data gathered through the structured interviews. Thematic analysis and constant comparative analysis methods were employed to analyse data. A zigzag method was used in moving back and forth during data analysis. The findings showed that there was inadequate policy support for effective TVET leadership practices in the sample colleges. The available TVET strategy was not changed into actionable directives and guidelines. Leadership practices were mostly guided by campaigns and ad-hoc letters. The position of the PD was not filled with a merit-based approach and lacked transparency. PDs were not role-models for trainers. PDs were not autonomous as their decision-making power was crippled by the interventions of higher officials. Vision formulation was not participatory. Business-as-usual PDs did not have any place in the dynamic sample colleges. Effective leadership was deemed important to produce skilled graduates to fill the middle-level human power needs of industries, enterprises and labour markets but was not practised well. The need to practise effective leadership was found not debatable. Leadership in the sample colleges was predominantly different from other sectors’ leadership due to the emphasis on technology creativity, invention, innovation and hard skills. PDs’ confirmation that they used a democratic leadership style was not supported by the views of trainers. In principle, effective leadership practices have a positive impact on the colleges’ outcomes. Nonetheless, this could not be ascertained practically. The leadership practices could not indicate the evidence about the contributions at impact level to the socio-economic growth and development of Addis Ababa. The achievements were at the immediate output level. Sustainable change and transformation were not depicted as there were a high number of unemployed graduates, which was confirmed by the tracer study of the sample colleges. Idle blue collar workers were produced due to the absence of relevant skills that equipped graduates. The procedure to reward and motivate the winners of innovation was bureaucratic, unsustainable and unrealistic. The situation led to repercussions in the colleges, which demotivated the trainers. The additive effects of transformational and transactional leadership styles were substantial to creativity, invention and innovation; reward and motivation packages; team building; individual efforts and wise use of scarce resources. The findings showed that complex problems and challenges faced the sample colleges’ leadership practices. Therefore, blending the contemporary leadership styles to initiate creativity, invention and innovation was found crucial to the progressive changes in the sample colleges. The proposed leadership theory in the newly developed framework in Chapter Six section 6.3 was important to mitigate problems and challenges faced by the sample colleges.

Go tlhaela ga dipatlisiso tsa boeteledipele mo dikholetsheng tsa dithuto tsa setegeniki go dirile gore go nne le patlisiso go tlhotlhomisa seemo sa tiragatso ya boeteledipele mo dikholetsheng tsa thuto le katiso ya setegeniki le tiro ya diatla (TVET) tsa Addis Ababa, kwa Itopia. Thutopatlisiso eno e ne e kaelwa ke tiori ya kago. E latetse molebo o o lebelelang mabaka mme wa dirisa thadiso ya tiori ya kokoanyo le tokololo ya data. Thutopatlisiso e akareditse bannileseabe ba le 26 ba ba tlhophilweng ka thekeniki ya go tlhopha sampole go ya ka maitlhomo a patlisiso go tswa kwa dikholetsheng tsa dithuto tsa setegeniki kwa Addis Ababa. Data e kokoantswe go dirisiwa didiriswa tse tharo: dipotsolotso tse di rulaganeng, dipotsolotso tsa ditlhopha tsa puisano (FGI), le kelotlhoko. Dipotsolotso di dirilwe ka namana le bodini (PD) le batlhankedi. Morago ga moo, go nnile le diFGI le kelotlhoko go rulaganya data e e kokoantsweng ka dipotsolotso tse di rulaganeng ka tiriso ya mekgwa e e farologaneng. Go dirisitswe mekgwa ya tokololo ka meono le tokololo e e tshwantshanyang go lokolola data. Go ne ga dirisiwa mokgwa o o manyokenyoke go ya godimo le tlase ka nako ya tokololo ya data. Diphitlhelelo di bontshitse gore ga go na tshegetso e e lekaneng ya pholisi go tshegetsa boeteledipele jo bo bokgoni jwa diTVET kwa dikholetsheng tse di neng di le mo sampoleng. Togamaano e e gona ya TVET ga e a fetolelwa go nna dikaelo le dikaedi tse di ka diragadiwang. Ditiragatso tsa boeteledipele di ne thata di kaelwa ke matsholo le makwalo a a tlang ka nako e e rileng fela. Maemo a PD ga a tladiwa ka molebo o o theilweng mo bokgoning mme seo ga se a direlwa mo pontsheng. DiPD ga se dikao tse di ntle tsa bakatisi. DiPD ga di a ikemela ka ntlha ya fa maatla a bona a tseoditshwetso a koafadiwa ke tsereganyo ya batlhankedi ba ba kwa godingwana. Go tlhamiwa ga diponelopele ga go akaretse seabe sa botlhe. DiPD tse di dirang ka tlwaelo di ne di sa akarediwe mo sampoleng ya dikholetshe. Boeteledipele jo bo bokgoni bo ne bo tsewa bo le botlhokwa go tlhagisa dialogane tse di nang le dikgono go tlatsa ditlhokego tsa badiri ba legato la bogareng tsa madirelo, dikgwebo le mebaraka ya badiri fela seo ga se diragadiwe ka tshwanelo. Tlhokego ya go diragatsa boeteledipele jo bo bokgoni e fitlhetswe e sa kgodise. Go fitlhetswe boeteledipele jwa dikholetshe tsa sampole bo farologana thata le boeteledipele jwa maphata a mangwe ka ntlha ya kgatelelo ya boitlhamedi jwa thekenoloji, boitshimololedi, le dikgono tsa tiro e e rileng. Tlhomamiso ya diPD ya gore go dirisiwa setaele sa boeteledipele jwa temokerasi ga e a tshegediwa ke megopolo ya bakatisi. Tota boeteledipele jo bo bokgoni bo na le ditlamorago tse di siameng mo dipoelong tsa dikholetshe. Le fa go le jalo, seno se ne se sa tlhomamisiwe ka tiragatso. Ditiragatso tsa boeteledipele di ne di sa bontshe bosupi jwa dikakgelo mo kgolong le tlhabololo ya ikonomiloago ya Addis Ababa. Diphitlhelelo di ne di le fela fa ntshong e e fa gaufi. Go ne go sa bonale diphetogo tse di tsweletsegang ka ntlha ya fa go ne go na le palo e e kwa godimo ya dialogane tse di sa direng, e leng se se tlhomamisitsweng ke thutopatlisiso ya tatediso ya dikholetshe tse di mo sampoleng. Go ne go tlhagisiwa badiri ba ba botswa ba tiro ya diatla ka ntlha ya tlhaelo ya dikgono tse di maleba tse di maatlafatsang dialogane. Tsamaiso ya go putsa le go rotloetsa bafenyi ba boitshimololedi e ne e le marara, e sa tsweletsege mme e bile e ka se fitlhelege. Seno se ne sa baka ditlamorago tse di nyemisitseng bakatisi mooko kwa dikholetsheng. Ditlamorago tsa tlaleletso tsa setaele sa boeteledipele jwa diphetogo di siametse boitlhamedi le boitshimololedi; dipakana tsa meputso le thotloetso; kago ya ditlhopha; maiteko a motho mongwe le mongwe, le tiriso e e botlhale ya ditlamelo tse di tlhaelang. Diphitlhelelo di bontshitse gore go na le mathata a a marara le dikgwetlho tse di lebaneng ditiragatso tsa boeteledipele jwa dikholetshe tse di mo sampoleng. Ka jalo, go kopanya ditaele tsa boeteledipele jwa sesweng go simolola boitlhamedi le boitshimololedi go fitlhetswe go le botlhokwa mo diphetogong tse di nang le tswelelopele mo dikholetsheng tse di mo sampoleng. Letlhomeso la Tiori ya Boeteledipele jo bo Kopantsweng le le tshitshintsweng mo Kgaolo 6, karolo 6.3 le tlaa fokotsa mathata le dikgwetlho tse di lebaneng dikholetshe tse di mo sampoleng.

Ho se lekane ha diphuputso tsa boetapele dikoletjheng tsa polytechnic ho qalile dipatlisiso tsa ho hlahloba boemo ba mekgwa ya boetapele dithutong tsa tekgeniki le kwetliso ya mosebetsi wa matsoho (TVET) tsa Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Thuto ena e ne e tataisitswe ke leano la batho la ho ikahela kutlwisiso le tsebo lefatsheng. E ile ya latela mokgwa wa boleng mme ya sebedisa moralo wa leano le theilweng. Thuto ena e kenyeleditse bankakarolo ba 26 ba ileng ba kgethwa ka mokgwa o rerilweng wa ho etsa sampole ho tswa dikholetjheng tse tharo tsa polytechnic ho la Addis Ababa. Dintlha di ile tsa bokellwa ho sebediswa disebediswa tse tharo: puisano e hlophisitsweng, puisano ya sehlopha se tsepamisitsweng maikutlo (FGI), le ho shebisisa. Dipuisano di ile tsa etswa difahleho di tadimane le dihlooho tsa dipatlisiso (PDs) le diofisiri. Ka mora moo, di-FGI le ho shebisisa di ile tsa etswa ho kopanya dintlha tse tharo tse bokeditsweng ka dipuisano tse hlophisitsweng. Ho ile ha sebeliswa tlhahlobo ya sehlooho le mekgwa ya ho bapisa e sa kgaotseng ho hlahloba dintlha. Ho ile ha sebediswa mokgwa wa zigzag ho ya pele le morao nakong ya tlhahlobo ya dintlha. Diphumano di bontshitse hore ha ho na tshehetso e lekaneng ya leano bakeng sa ditlwaelo tse sebetsang tsa boetapele ba TVET dikholetjheng tsa mohlala. Leano le fumanehang la TVET ha le ka la fetolwa hore e be ditaelo le ditataiso tse sebetsang. Mekgwa ya boetapele e ne e tataiswa haholo ke matsholo le mangolo a nakwana. Boemo ba PD bo ne bo sa tlatswa ka mokgwa o thehilweng ho boleng mme bo ne bo hloka ho behwa pepeneneng. Di-PD e ne e se mehlala ho barupelli. Di-PD di ne di se na boikemelo ka ha matla a bona a ho etsa diqeto a ne a holofetse ke ho kenella ha ba boholong. Tlhahiso ya pono e ne e se ya ho nka karolo. Di-PD tse tlwaelehileng di ne di se na sebaka le ha e le sefe dikoletjheng tsa mehlala e matla. Boetapele bo hlwahlwa bo ne bo nkwa e le ba bohlokwa ho hlahisa baithuti ba nang le boiphihlelo ba bokgoni ho tlatsa ditlhoko tsa matla a batho ba boemong bo bohareng ba diindasteri, dikgwebo le mebaraka ya basebetsi empa ha bo a ka ba etswa hantle. Tlhokahalo ya ho itlwaetsa boetapele bo hlwahlwa e ile ya fumanwa e sa tsejwe. Boetapele dikholetjheng tsa mehlala bo ne bo fapane haholo le boetapele ba mafapha a mang ka lebaka la ho toboketsa boqapi ba theknoloji, boqapi, kgopolo tse ntjha le bokgoni bo boima. Bopaki ba PD ba hore ba sebedisitse mokgwa wa boetapele ba demokrasi ha bo a tshehetswa ke maikutlo a barupelli. Ha e le hantle, mekgwa e metle ya boetapele e na le kgahlamelo e ntle diphellong tsa dikholetjheng. Leha ho le jwalo, sena ha se a ka sa tiiswa ka mokgwa o sebetsang. Mekgwa ya boetapele e ne e sitwa ho bontsha bopaki mabapi le kabelo ya boemo ba kgahlamelo ho kgolo ya moruo le moruo wa Addis Ababa. Dikatleho di ne di le boemong ba hona jwale ba tlhahiso. Phetoho e tsitsitseng le phetoho ha di a ka tsa bontshwa ka ha ho ne ho e na le palo e phahameng ya ba fumaneng mangolo a thuto empa ba sa sebetse, e leng se tiisitsweng ke thuto ya ho batla ya dikoletjhe tsa mehlala. Ho ile ha hlahiswa basebetsi ba mosebetsi wa matsoho ba sa sebetseng ka lebaka la ho se be le ditsebo tse loketseng tse hlomellang baithuti. Mokgwa wa ho putsa le ho kgothatsa ba hlotseng ka mehopolo ya ho hlahisa tse ntjha e ne e le ya tsamaiso, e sa tsitsang, ebile e se ya nnete. Boemo bona bo ile ba baka ditlamorao tse bohloko dikoletjheng, tse ileng tsa nyahamisa barupelli. Ditlamorao tse ding tsa mekgwa ya boetapele ba phetoho le ditshebedisano di ne di le bohlokwa ho boiqapelo, ho qapa le kgopolo tse ntjha; ho putswa le kgothatso; mohaho wa sehlopha; boiteko ba motho ka mong, le tshebediso e bohlale ya disebediswa tse haellang. Diphumano di bontshitse hore mathata a rarahaneng le diphephetso di tobane le mehlala ya mekgwa ya boetapele ba dikoletjhe. Ka hona, ho kopanya mekgwa ya boetapele ba sejwalejwale ho qala boiqapelo ho qapa le kgopolo tse ntjha ho fumanwe ho le bohlokwa diphetohong tse tswelang pele dikholetjheng tsa sampole. Moralo wa Leano le Kopantsweng le Matla la Boetapele le sisintsweng Kgaolong ya 6, karolo ya 6.3 e tla fokotsa mathata le diphephetso tseo dikoletjhe tsa mehlala di tobaneng le tsona.