review-of-the-literature-on-basic-education-in-nigeria-june-2014-3-1

Review <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>literature</strong> on basic education in NigeriaCHAPTER 11: HEAD TEACHERS AND TEACHER MANAGEMENT11.1 IntroductionThe role <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> head teacher is vital to school improvement, and <strong>the</strong>ir leadership, management andsupervisory skills are central to providing an enabling environment in which good teaching and learningcan take place.This chapter <strong>review</strong>s <strong>the</strong> very limited available <strong>literature</strong> on head teachers and <strong>the</strong>ir roles within <strong>the</strong>school before considering <strong>the</strong> emergent use <strong>of</strong> SDPs. The next section considers teacher management,support and supervision, both within <strong>the</strong> school and by <strong>the</strong> LGEA. The focus <strong>the</strong>n moves on to teacherdiscipline, including both <strong>the</strong> main disciplinary issues concerning teachers and <strong>the</strong> disciplinary measuresthat are taken. Finally, we briefly consider new initiatives with head teachers.In this chapter we draw heavily on <strong>the</strong> 2004 ESA survey <strong>of</strong> almost 1,000 primary head teachers and over800 secondary head teachers across <strong>the</strong> country in both public and private schools (FME 2005), althoughwe should stress that in a few sections <strong>of</strong> that report it is not always clear whe<strong>the</strong>r figures refer toprimary or secondary head teachers or both.11.2 Head teachersThere is a dearth <strong>of</strong> available research on head teachers in school. Head teachers are in charge <strong>of</strong> dayto-dayadministration and management <strong>of</strong> teachers in school, although <strong>the</strong>re is no available nationalpolicy on <strong>the</strong>ir roles and responsibilities and widely divergent views among stakeholders about whatroles <strong>the</strong>y should be playing (Sherry 2008). In this, Nigeria is reportedly lagging behind a number <strong>of</strong>o<strong>the</strong>r countries in SSA such as Rwanda, Ghana and Kenya, which are beginning to adopt nationalstrategies for <strong>the</strong> training <strong>of</strong> head teachers for <strong>the</strong> role <strong>of</strong> headship and management (Mulkeen et al.2007).11.2.1 Head teachers’ appointment and authorityThe importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> head teacher to school management and <strong>the</strong> successful implementation <strong>of</strong>school-level interventions is widely recognised in Nigeria (FME 2005; Arikewuyo 2009; Holfeld et al.2008; Boulton et al. 2009; USAID 2009; Adeyemi 2010; Gabrscek and Usman 2013). In <strong>review</strong>ing <strong>the</strong>five-year COMPASS programme, <strong>the</strong> end-<strong>of</strong>-project report concluded:The level to which some schools complied with <strong>the</strong> basic quality <strong>of</strong> education interventions was determinedto a large extent by <strong>the</strong> understanding and oversight <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> head teacher (USAID 2009: 48).Despite this, head teachers generally have very little power to effect change (Boulton et al. 2009). Forexample, <strong>the</strong>y have no funds available with which to develop <strong>the</strong> school (o<strong>the</strong>r than funds raised thoughSBMCs and PTAs (see Chapter 13), nor do <strong>the</strong>y have <strong>the</strong> power to appoint or dismiss staff (ibid.).Arguably this is beginning to change in <strong>the</strong> few schools that now have access to school developmentgrants (see Section 11.3 below).Head teachers are generally appointed by <strong>the</strong> ES at <strong>the</strong> LGEA level (Williams 2009; see Section 6.6.6);<strong>the</strong> main criterion for appointment as a head teacher is years <strong>of</strong> teaching service (FME 2005; Arikewuyo2009), although, like teachers, head teachers can be appointed for political or o<strong>the</strong>r reasons. The 2004ESA found that only around half had NCE and around a fifth had a Postgraduate Diploma in Education(PGDE). Moreover, <strong>the</strong> situation was worse at secondary level, where <strong>the</strong> largest qualification group in<strong>the</strong> sample (43%) comprised head teachers with degrees but no teaching qualifications (FME 2005).EDOREN – Education Data, Research and Evaluation in Nigeria 128