Evaluating the management of school improvement programme implementation in the secondary schools in Wolaita zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

The concept ‘school improvement’ indicates the plan to improve the quality of teaching and learning in a school. Quality education is a prominent agenda across the world, and countries such as Ethiopia are implementing various quality improvement initiatives. The Ethiopian Education and Training Policy (1994), which included the school improvement programme (SIP) as part of the educational reforms, was brought about to improve the quality of education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the management of the school improvement programme implementation in the secondary schools in the Wolaita zone, Ethiopia. The study aims to understand the participants’ experiences with the school improvement programme and then be able to understand the challenges and suggest ways to improve the SIP. A mixed methods research approach was used to complete the study. Moreover, of the mixed methods sub-divisions, a convergent /concurrent triangulation design is used. A quantitative questionnaire and qualitative methods (focus group interviews and document analysis) were used for data-collection. A total of 37 managers and 250 teachers participated in the study. A questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended questions, which secured a 99 percent response rate, was administered to collect data from the selected teachers and managers (principals, vice-principals and HODs). During the qualitative phase, 10 supervisors, 10 school improvement committee members, 10 Woreda Education Office SIP experts and four zone SIP experts participated in the focus group interviews. Qualitative findings are not as positive as the quantitative findings on most of the issues that were evaluated. The researcher is of the opinion that this is because the nature of the qualitative participants, their position, knowledge and experience of SIP management differ from that of the quantitative participants. The study results make a contribution to the research on the management practice of SIP implementation, especially since no study on this issue has been conducted in the Wolaita zone of Ethiopia before. It was possible to make several meaningful recommendations for the management of SIP implementation in the Wolaita zone. They inter alia pertain to: the Zone Education Department (ZED) and the Woreda Education Office (WEO) staff, cluster supervisors, school principals and the school improvement committees who should give continuous support for managing the school improvement programme. This can be done by relevant stakeholders facilitating trainings, allocating an adequate budget, mobilising the school community towards supporting SIP, and making stakeholders aware of the school improvement programme and school improvement resources. Important findings relate to improvement in the planning, organising, leading and monitoring and evaluation of the programme.

Skoolverbetering is ’n begrip wat dui op die plan om die gehalte van onderrig en leer in ’n skool te verbeter. Gehalte-onderrig behels ’n prominente agenda wereldwyd, en lande soos Etiopie implementeer verskeie inisiatiewe om gehalte te verbeter. Die Ethiopian Education and Training Policy (1994) is ’n beleid wat die skoolverbeteringsprogram (SIP) as deel van die opvoedkundige hervormings insluit, en wat ontwikkel is om die gehalte van onderrig te verbeter. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die bestuur van die SIP-implementering in hoerskole in die Wolaita-sone in Etiopie te evalueer. Die oogmerk was om die deelnemers se ervarings van die SIP, sowel as gepaardgaande uitdagings, te verstaan en met maniere vorendag te kom om die SIP te verbeter. ’n Gemengdemetode-navorsingsbenadering is toegepas, met ’n konvergente/konkurrente triangulasie-ontwerp. Altesaam 37 bestuurders en 250 onderwysers het aan die studie deelgeneem. Vir die kwantitatiewe fase is ’n vraelys met geslote vrae en ope vrae, met ’n 99%-responskoers, gebruik om data van die gekose onderwysers en bestuurders (skoolhoofde, onderhoofde en departementshoofde) in te samel. Tydens die kwalitatiewe fase het 10 toesighouers, 10 skoolverbeteringskomiteelede, 10 Woreda Education Office SIP-kundiges en 4 sone-SIP-kundiges aan die fokusgroeponderhoude deelgeneem. Die kwalitatiewe bevindinge was nie so positief soos die kwantitatiewe bevindinge oor die meerderheid van die aangeleenthede wat geëvalueer is nie. Die rede is waarskynlik dat die kwalitatiewe deelnemers van die kwantitatiewe deelnemers verskil het ten opsigte van aard, posisie, kennis en ervaring van SIP-bestuur. Die resultate van die studie dra by tot die navorsing oor die bestuurspraktyk van SIP-implementering, veral omdat daar nog nooit vantevore ’n studie oor hierdie aangeleentheid onderneem is in die Wolaita-sone van Etiopië nie. Dit was moontlik om verskeie betekenisvolle aanbevelings te doen vir die bestuur van SIP-implementering in die Wolaita-sone. Die Zone Education-afdeling en die personeel van die Woreda Education Office, groeptoesighouers, skoolhoofde en die skoolverbeteringskomitees moet volgehoue ondersteuning gee vir die bestuur van die SIP. Dit kan gedoen word deur tersaaklike belanghebbers wat opleiding fasiliteer, ’n toereikende begroting toeken, die skoolgemeenskap mobiliseer om die SIP te ondersteun, en belanghebbers bewus te maak van die SIP en hulpbronne vir skoolverbetering. Belangrike bevindinge het betrekking op verbeterings in die beplanning, organisering, leiding, monitering en evaluering van die program.

Kgopolo ya kaonafatso ya sekolo e laetsa leano la go kaonafatsa boleng bja go ruta le go ithuta ka sekolong. Thuto ya boleng ke lenaneo leo le tswelelago lefaseng ka bophara, gomme dinaga tsa go swana le Ethiopia di phethagatsa maitapiso a go fapanafapana a kaonafatso ya boleng. Pholisi ya Thuto le Tlhahlo ya Ethiopia (1994), yeo e akaretsago lenaneo la kaonafatso ya sekolo (SIP) bjalo ka karolo ya diphetogo tsa thuto, e hlamilwe go kaonafatsa boleng bja thuto. Maikemisetso a nyakisiso ye e be e le go sekaseka taolo ya phethagatso ya SIP dikolong tsa sekontari ka lefelong la Wolaita, Ethiopia. Maikemisetso e be le go kwesisa maitemogelo a bakgathatema a SIP gammogo le ditlhohlo, le go sisinya ditsela tsa go kaonafatsa SIP. Mokgwa wa nyakisiso wa mekgwa ye e hlakantswego o dirisitswe ka tlhamo ya khutlotharo ya go kopana/ya nako e tee. Palomoka ya balaodi ba 37 le barutisi ba 250 ba kgathile tema ka nyakisisong. Bakeng sa kgato ya khwanthithethifi, lenaneopotsiso leo le nago le dipotsiso tse di tswaletswego le tse di bulegilego, ka tekanyo ya karabo ya 99%, le ile la laolwa go kgoboketsa datha go tswa go barutisi le balaodi bao ba kgethilwego (dihlogo tsa dikolo, batlatsadihlogo le dihlogo tsa dikgoro). Nakong ya kgato ya khwalithethifi, baokamedi ba 10, maloko a 10 a komiti ya kaonafatso ya sekolo, ditsebi tse 10 tsa SIP tsa Kantoro ya Thuto ya Woreda le ditsebi tse 4 tsa SIP tsa dizoune ba kgathile tema dipoledisanong tsa sehlopha sa nepo. Dikutullo tsa khwalithethifi e be e se tse botse go swana le dikutullo tsa khwanthithethifi go bontsi bja ditaba tseo di lekotswego. Lebaka le na le kgonagalo ya gore bakhathatema ba khwalithethifi ba be ba fapana le bakgathatema ba khwanthithethifi ka tlhago, maemo, tsebo le maitemogelo a taolo ya SIP. Dipoelo tsa nyakisiso di tsenya letsogo go nyakisiso ya mokgwa wa taolo ya phethagatso ya SIP, kudukudu ka ge go sena nyakisiso ka ga taba ye yeo e kilego ya dirwa ka zouneng ya Wolaita ya Ethiopia. Go ile gwa kgonega go dira ditshisinyo tse mmalwa tse di nago le mohola tsa taolo ya phethagatso ya SIP ka lefelong la Wolaita. Kgoro ya Thuto ya Lefelo le basomi ba Kantoro ya Thuto ya Woreda, baokamedi ba dihlopha, dihlogo tsa dikolo le dikomiti tsa kaonafatso ya dikolo ba swanetse go fa thekgo ye e tswelago pele ya go laola SIP. Se se ka dirwa ke bakgathatema ba maleba go nolofatsa tlhahlo, go aba tekanyetso ye e lekanego, go kgoboketsa setshaba sa sekolo go thekga SIP le go dira gore bakgathatema ba lemoge ka ga SIP le methopo ya kaonafatso ya sekolo. Dikutullo tse bohlokwa di amana le kaonafatso ya peakanyo, go rulaganya, go eta pele, go hlokomela le go sekaseka lenaneo.