The role of school heads in enhancing effective school governance for public secondary schools in Sengerema Mwanza, Tanzania

This study examined the role of school heads in enhancing effective school governance in public secondary schools. It was conducted in Sengerema Mwanza, Tanzania. The purpose was to examine school headsrole employed to enhance school governance in regard to supportiveness of the policy and legal frame work. The study contribute to advance information to people and places that have not been previously studied on the issue of policy and legal frame work supportive for school headsrole, practices as well as effective strategies employed for effective school governance. It also contributes knowledge to researchers who are interested on this topic. The study objectives were to: examine the policy and legal framework for school heads role in enhancing school governance; examine school heads practices in enhancing school governance; and assess the effectiveness of school heads strategies in enhancing school governance. The study was qualitative in its approach and employed a phenomenological design. It also employed a purposive sampling technique. The data were obtained through interviews, Focus Group Discussions and documentary review. The study involved 31 participants including; the District Secondary Education Officer, school board chairpersons, school heads, teachers and students representatives in school board meetings. The data were subjected to content analysis. It was found out that the policy and legal framework in Tanzania provides minimal support to the school heads role in enhancing school governance. The school heads’ practices related to effective school governance are: fair division of work that considers experience, ability as well as good management of human and physical resources. Moreover, school heads strategies related to effective school governance include; the invitation of stakeholders’ contribution to school development; management by walking around and capacity building programmes to school heads. The study concludes that despite the importance of school governance, policy and legal framework for school heads role are not supportive, school heads practices employed are inadequate and strategies are less effective for effective school governance. It is therefore recommended that, Tanzanias policy and legal framework should be reviewed so as to support both instructional and administrative aspects of the school heads’ role. There should be fair division of work that considers experience and ability as well as good management of human and physical resources. Then, capacity building programmes related to school governance should not only be offered to school heads but also to other stakeholders as well. Another study should be undertaken on private secondary schools in order to compare the findings with those from public secondary schools for the purpose of providing additional results to confirm or disconfirm results of prior studies