LECTURE 9 (EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION)

SECONDARY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the lesson the learners shall be able to:
 Review secondary education development since 1963.
 Discuss the various types of Secondary schools in Kenya;
 Review the objectives of secondary schools in Kenya
 Discuss the various types of secondary schools
 Scrutinize the roles of the BOM, PTA and the headteacher
 Explain the roles of the headteacher, Departmental head, student leaders in
school administration
The country has experienced rapid growth of secondary education since independence
in both number of school and in enrolment. For instance, at independence, there were
151 secondary schools with an enrolment of 31200 students and 1602.

1997 there were approximately 3028 public secondary schools with about 687473
students and a staff of about 40000 teachers. These figures must changed over the
years.

Until 1989, the schools were categorized into 4 types.

1. Maintained schools

These were government boarding and day schools that were fully maintained by the
government.

The government through the TSC and the BOM paid for the teacher and support staff.

This category of school had the best facilities and often the best national examination
result.

2. Assisted schools

This category consists of schools initial stated through Harambee efforts after
independence.
The communities because of the high demand for education developed and funded
secondary schools.

This category realized the highest growth in all categories

3. Unaided Harambee schools

This category was developed and fully maintained by the community. The community
collected funds through fees, harambee and auctions which in turn used to hire
teachers, support staff, buy material and provisions and construct physical structures.
Because of poor facilities and poor management, the examinations results were often
por in this category.

4. Unaided Private schools

This category was established by entrepreneurs whose main objective to make a profit
of fees paid by the pupils. They were concentrated in the urban centers. The exam
results often were poorer of all categories.

Today there are two types of schools: the public and private schools.

The private secondary schools are those that are developed by individuals and private
organizations. They are equipped and staffed entirely by funds from individuals, school
fees and private organizations.

There are two types of private schools: the commercial and religious schools.

The public schools on the other hand are equipped, staffed and managed by the
government through TSC. BOM and PTA.

The BOM provides funds through levies to hire extra teachers and support staff. The
PTA, through levies provides more funds for development projects.

Cost sharing policy gave legal leeway to BOM and PTA to collect funds from parents to
provide the school with required staff and physical structures.
Students expect to be disciplined and knowledgeable in whatever field to benefit
themselves and nation as a whole.

9.2 Objectives of secondary school education

1. To promote experience, growth of the whole person through integrated development

of mental, physical and emotive (moral, spiritual and aesthetic) attributes and abilities,
beyond the primary experience.

2. To promote communication skills, numeracy, scientific concepts and skills

( reasoning, problem solving, creating, technological application of science etc.) and
social skills including services to others and society.

3. To increase knowledge on economic production and its relationship with the social
context and the natural environment.

4. To promote social weighty through provision of education to al Kenyans, including

those from disadvantaged communities and households, girl child and the handicapped.

5. To strengthen the foundation laid down in primary school for formal education and
training, he world of work and lifelong learning.

ACTIVITY:

Study the objectives above and determine the relationship to the school you were
placed at during teaching practice.

9.3 The role of BOM/PTA in the management of secondary education.

Management of secondary school is an aspect of the Ministry of Education structural

endeavor to manage units within the system. It is assumed that there are several rungs
in the management of education. The Ministry headquarters in the upper rung, the
Provincial level in the middle and the schoolmanagement in the lower rung in the
management of secondary schools.
The Education Act CAP 211, See. 6(b) gives authority to the Minister of Education
appoint the Board of Management to manage secondary schools.

The minister may, the Act states:

a) Establish one a Board of Management for two or more schools.

b) Establish board of management for two or more schools by means of the same
order. According to the Education Act CAP 211 of the Kenyan Law, the
constitution and functions of the Board of Management are as follows;
i)That the board shall exercise the duty of management of the school(s) subject
to the Act the TSC Act, Cap 212 and any other regulation under this Act.
ii) The membership of the board according to the Act shall not be less than
five persons including board representatives of the communities served
by the school. Persons representing any regulatory body, which was the
founder of the school.

Persons or representatives of the bodies or organization that in the opinion of the

minister should be included.

The Master plan or Education and Training (MPET) ( 1997-2010) on the other hand
made the following proposal that the BOM membership comprises 15 representatives
drawn from various groups as follows.

6- Parents association

3- Sponsors representative

1-Representative of the County Education Board

1-Teacher

1-Representative of special interest from community

1-special needs representative

Local women’s organization

1-Local Co-operative society

1-Student (Ex-official)-usually invited to attend meeting whenever students matters are

considered

Headteacher serves as secretary designated to the BOM

The proposed BOM constitution or membership would capture different stakeholder’s

interest.

Functions of the BOM

1) Overall responsibilities for planning developing and managing the school,

including budgeting, mobilizing, managing and accounting for school resources.
2) Collaborating with DEB in the management of teaching force, e.g., with repaid to
staff establishment, appointments and discipline and grievances procedure.
3) Recruitment and management of non-teaching staff.
4) Local development of the school’s curriculum including out of class activities and
development of student’s social values and beliefs.

PTA- established in 1998 through Presidential Directive to create a forum for the
involvement of parents, teachers and community to participate in institutional
development and growth. They are responsible for raising funds for facilities such as
classrooms, teacher’s houses, and offices, providing as necessary learning resources.
They are not however adequately represented in the BOM body, the concerned body
that spend the money made by PTA. Some schools have fallen vision to
misappropriation of funds and both parents and even students have demonstrated this
luck of faith through strikes.

The Role of the school sponsors and Education Manager

The role of the sponsor often faith based is very crucial in the management of the
school. It is imperative that person appointed to head the school is indeed of high
integrity, a graduate and represents the sponsor’s values adequately.
The sponsor ensures that the school manages high moral values and lifestyles that
serves as role models for students. The country is reeling under rampant use of drugs
and other substance that are influencing student values and behavior, HIV/ADS is
another rampant epidemic of epic properties that is affecting the student’s teachers and
the families subsequently the education programme is greatly undermined.

The role if the sponsor is vital in providing both the spiritually and moral values to
guide, he school managers. The sponsor needs to ensure that the staff is TSC registered,
to fully realize the partnership between the government and the stakeholders in
education development.

9.4 The role of the Headteacher

The headteacher is an employee of the Teachers Service Commission in charge of the

day-to-day activities of the school. In particular the chief responsibility is creating an
enabling atmosphere for learning, teaching and optimizing of all the resources. The
processes that create the conversion activities to professionalism are embedded in the
management principles of planning, organizing, directing, supervision, communicating,
budgeting and evaluating. Each process must be followed diligently in accordance with
the procedure provided by the Ministry of education. Since the school curriculum is set
centrally, the headteacher’s roles effectively become that of the implementer.

Secondary school education is a unique level between that od dependent pre-teen and
the young adults. This predominantly adolescent group of between 15-18 years is also
rambunctious and needs a proactive, participatory and precautionary administration.
This is a headteacher that purposes to achieve the schools’ aims and objectives and
strives to develop basic skills that are technical, human and conceptual.

In respect to the age of the adolescent students in secondary school, the headteacher
should create and environment that is positive and takes cognizance of the social
development of the
Examine the current constitution and functions of the BOM in your secondary school or
one you are acquainted with

i) Compare the setup of the constitution and functions of BOM provided in the
Education Act Cap 211 with the proposed (MPET)
ii) Which of the modes is 140 above compares closely with the BOM of the age
cohort?

Developing a positive school climate should always be the driving force of the school
administrator. While administration builds into practice and strategy the
understanding of the early adolescent development, it will create a school that is
purposeful. The student’s total person must be considered in terms of their social and
psychological make up and how such would impact on the academic performance. He
first consideration should not therefore be academic performance, but he student and
bow connectedthey’re to their environment. As stipulated by the motivation theories of
Maslow and Herzberg, it is prudent to balance the environmental factors with the
motivation variables in order to achieve an environment conducive to learning. While
considering the students, the reaches and the support staff must not be left behind.
Motivating and working at meeting the human resource at their point of need should be
one of the primary strategies of management. Without tis resource the use of the other
resources may not amount to much.

School management as an eclectic field

The headteacher’s role is informed and enriched by knowledgeable from different

fields, such as psychology, sociology, anthropology and economies. A well-read
headteacher who consults widely and collaborates with relevant sectors enhances
productivity as he chief executive of the school. In addition, the headteacher interacts
with various members of the community, the parents, the business sector and the
religious leaders among others and therefore he or she needs to possess a wide
worldview. The headteacher from this perspective provides a window into the school
for all he stakeholders. The school management informed from many feels is therefore
said to be an eclectic field of study.

9.4.1 Functions of the headteacher

Specifically, the headteacher carries the following responsibilities

- Management of school facilities

- Personnel Management (staff)
- Collective bargaining
- School Laws
- Instructional services
- Public relations
- Pupil Personnel services
- Discipline
- Health programmes
- Educational Management Information System
i) Management of school facilities

School facilities represent huge investments and symbolize the community’s beliefs and
values with regard to education. In other words, the kinds of structures, plans for
buildings, the money spent and the total money spent and the total ambiance created,
all contribute to form the communities value system. It is believed that a crowded
compound, caged up dormitories that are poorly ventilated and congested, dirty
classrooms are among coupled with poor or no staff rooms just exacerbate the image of
the school and its products. On the other hand, the aesthetics or care with the school is
designed and facilities provided for all the school programmes is testimony of the
values of the community. Such values translate in the conduct of the pupils and staff
that manifest whether in good and bad conduct.
In this area , therefore, the administration must plan and manage. Planning is a critical
aspect as it must comply with the needs of the school and fiscal capacity of the patrons.
Often times projects seem to be planned without concern for how the funds will be
acquired other than parent levies. This sometimes led to expensive projects that are not
relevant to the curriculum specifically, and sometimes they never get competed. The
parents in this case cannot source enough money to complete the projects.

Those projects that meet the needs of the curriculum must however be adequately
managed. This means that repairs must be carried out as soon as they are required.
Proper painting and general aesthetics should be maintained, repaired or replaced so as
no to cause unnecessary expensive repairs.

Other school facilities are vehicles, land and learning resource, for proper utilization,
the vehicles must be regularly inspected and adequately insured. The land title must be
secured and fenced to protect it from marauders. Books are another expensive resource
that s substantive to the business of the school. They need proper cataloguing and
storage. A spacious and adequately furnished library would encourage students to
respect and use the books properly. Reading should be encouraged as an activity that is
not only necessary to pass exams, but as life skill.

ii) Collective bargaining

Because the headteachers will increasingly engage in maters regarding unignitable staff
such as KNUT, KUPPET, KHUDHEHIA, etc. collective bargaining becomes an essential
skill to acquire. This is a process of negotiating wages and other working conditions
collectively between employers and trade unions. It enables the conditions of
employees to be agreed as a whole group instead of individually. [G.A Cole (1996:pg x)

iii) School Laws

The schools are subject to a myriad of laws and regulations. New laws are enacted and
others adjusted continuously. It is prudent therefore for the headteacher to keep
abreast within all the laws and regulations governing them. Such knowledge would
provide stability and confidence with the headteacher and their institution.

Such policies as those related to gender, Education fo All and Cost Sharing impact on
service delivery. Further ramifications are seen in the kind of facilities, human and
fiscal resources the school can acquire in order to meet the school needs.

In service programmes run by KESI provide competencies in areas that the headteacher
feels deficient in. Such competencies in areas such as school laws etc. are often
provided by periodical seminars etc.

iv) Instructional Leadership

Facets of instructional leadership are:

a) Improvement of teachers and learning by providing in-service on a continued

bass. This exercise will provide a forum for teachers to share their successes and
heir families. This is an opportunity on for teachers to get affirm at on and gain
more competencies. This exercise will also help teachers feeling challenged on
the job or those experiencing burnout.
New teachers need to be oriented to their new schools and environment.
Headteachers can use school’s best teachers as mentors of the new teachers. A
mentor would be someone who would work with a novice teacher as a colleague
and not as a junior who does not know anything. It is not the time to show off,
but a time for colloquial support. A mentor is objective in a professional way. A
mentor is also someone comfortable with himself or herself. The success of this
kind of programme can fully come from maintaining a professional approach.

b) Developing supervisory strategies.

Supervisory strategies that integrate collaborate style will succeed and bring people
together. The nest recipe is one that views supervisor as someone with super vision.
This means someone with expertise more superior than the teacher being
supervised. This superiority should not be confused with haughtiness and
coerciveness and provide. Rather it should be guided by the desire by the supervisor
to be professional, principled, collaborative, enhancing , collegial and actualizing
super vision should be simply that, better vision.

c) Maintaining school system

Such strategies as maintenance of school programmes as laid out in the timetable

are absolutely essential. The timetable is an instrument that reflects a carefully
thought-out curriculum. When the time able is strictly adhered by the teacher
coming to class on time, well prepared and staying through the duration of the
lesson, students will surely learn.

Timetabling also is a device for aims and objectives of education programmes.

d) Improving curriculum and library material.

This aspect entails a sufficing collection and varied textbooks. Professional

reference material and current journals will enhance teacher preparation. A good
library would be stocked with relevant books that both interest with variety and
accommodative vocabulary.

e) Evaluation of students

Progressive CATS and examinationsshould reflect real time and learning by

students. Continuous assessments tests should be just hat, to determine the
student’s progress and help develop that student. External examinations and tests
should only be used sparingly as this will not measure actual interaction between
teaching and pupils.
 f) Role Model

A headteacher is a role model and so therefore their professional and academic

integrity should appeal to teachers, parents and pupils. Communication occurs to
many levels, such as in dress, activities, language and behavior. Wrong messages can
be inadvertently conveyed easily. Headteachers therefore must demonstrate the
kind of values they possess to hold. As the public, donors and government is
spending a lot of money in school, the headteacher must cultivate a winning image
for the school.

g) Recruitment of staff and pupils through TSC annual returns. These returns are
absolutely imperative as they have implications of the school plan. The element
of returns implies auditing of the past school years education programme. It is a
process that entails evaluation of programmes to the degree to which schools’
set goals were achieved. The degree to which he staffsresources facilitated and if
here was a shortage or over supply of teachers. The teacher pupil ratio, another
factor pertinent to the exercise will be used y the TSC to determine the
deployment of teachers and other resource persons as may be required. This is
again an activity that requires the headache to work closely with the teaching
staff to evaluate needs as they relate to staff resources.

v) Public relations (PR)

Public relations are about creating a relationship between the public and the school.
It is a strategy taken by the school administration with the help ofthestaffs to create
and meet the expectations of the public. The public through the taxes paid which
constitute a majority of the fund that supports school expects the school to be
accountable.
The school on the other hand through public relations creates an image of itself as
well as publicize its educational programmes. This also serves to sell their
programmes for purposed of soliciting more support financially from both public
and private philanthropizes. Another very important role of public relations is the
integration of the family and the community to the school programs. This will
further enhance the school’s image and build confidence among the major
stakeholders, the parents and the pupils.

A public relation however is built on a proper plan that entails priorities of the
activities, the target group as well as timelines of release of information to the
media. This is a first line of integration between the school and he
community/public at large. It must therefore be skillfully and professionally
managed. The headteacher is the head of the school’s Public Relations team and
must lead through action. The nature, mannerism and structures of communication
reflect the management style of the headteacher.

The headteacher is a member of teaching body of a school and therefore needs to

work as a member of a team and not a lone ranger. PR is about human relations.
Knowing about human relations and what makes them related to their environment
is one of the guiding tenets of human relations (PR).

Proper management of school is dependent on the formula that balances the

internal with the external environments of the school.

vi) Management of school finances.

The headteacher is the schools accounting officer. The management of the school
finances entails skills that the headteacher must take time to acquire. As much as
most schools have accounting officers and clerks, the headteacher must understand
process of financial management.
Once again financial management like other functions of the headache is based on
properly audited school programmes and resources of the previous year. Finances
are a critical interactive component in the school programmes. A heathy account
does not make effective school programmes but the conversion of the funds into
resources such as tiff, teaching aid and classrooms.

School financial management will be covered in more detail in the last topic of this
series.

vii) Conflict management

Institutional violence is threatening the very purposed and essence of education and
schooling in Kenya today. Going by the current reports in the media on the level and
intensity of violence in high schools, this topic is seen as imperative and a must for
all school managers. It is important for school administration to be trained in the
principles of management and resolutions of conflict in order to safe our schools
and life from further deterioration. A critical component of conflict that is in the
vocabulary of most school stakeholders is discipline.

Discipline

A skill that us a must for the headache and one more to incorporate into their many
functions is discipline. Here we refer to discipline of staff, pupils , managers and
technology all as a combined force and for the school purpose. Discipline, according
to the Stare the Boys Center founder Geoffrey Griffin endows the pupils.

“With such habits as self-respect proper pride in his/her integrity that will observe
norms of good conduct when not under supervision” (School Mastery,1994)

Discipline in our schools especially in the secondary schools have been amplified
recently through frequent school strikes and riots. This current image portrays an
 undisciplined situation that raises a host of questions as to the nature of school
management.

Several scholars have defined discipline:-

 As means of internal controls over one’s own behavior

 As means to correct behavior by exerting external controls.

The definitions above draw attention to two types of discipline, one as a process
that emanates from within the individual and the other from the external
environment. When we talk of discipline in regards Kenyan Secondary schools, it is
often observed as if the student is entirely to blame. The students in turn often sight
external factors, but within school, as cause of the turbulence.

The second definition of discipline implies an external influence. In our secondary

school situations, the daily newspapers have often reported student grievances as
being attributed to heavy handed headache practice, food problems and misuse of
funds unfair treatment of students among others.

In cases where students have rioted in schools and caused mayhem indiscipline
behavior manifestations may be observed and attributed to both external and
internal properties. It is therefore upon the headteacher to cultivate learning to
encompass cognitive, affective and the psychomotor domains. By doing so the total
student is addressed. On the other hand, the structures that govern the teaching and
learning should be designed to facilitate and lead to a symbiotic relationship of all
resources; that ae the students, teachers, administration and the kind of rules that
govern their relations.

NOTE RECENT CASES OF SECONDARY SCHOOL RIOTS

East African Standard July 16th 2004 pg. 40 col 2.

  School burned in orgy of violence. They attacked the school deputy head and
burnt is car and other property costing damage estimated at above 15 million
shillings.
 State House Girls stage a walkout at 5 am protesting the high handedness and
discrimination of the poor students by the headteacher and her deputy Daily
Nation, Thursday July 15th, 2004 pg. 18, Col 1
 ‘Alert issued on indiscipline in high schools. This is case of heightened state of
indiscipline in schools within Nakuru District where four schools in the last two
weeks have staged violent strikes causing very serious damage to property

viii) Personnel services

The staff, both teaching and nonteaching are an important resource. This is a resource
that must be managed and developed for the good of the school. The headteacher is the
chief personnel officer in a school responsible for all aspects relating to staff. Specific
functions of the personnel according to Whitehead p.279 is as follows;

 The recruitment of staff- This will be determined by the returns given to the TSC
as this will reflect the status of staff in relation to school programmers. The
strength and weaknesses of teaching staff in particular will be relayed in the staff
returns. The non-teaching staff will be conveyed in the report of returns to the
BOG as employers of this category of staff.
 The training and development again as above a frequent audit and evaluation of
all school programmes reveal the areas of need. This is a planed item within
school programmes.
 The description of jobs, and the devising of methods of payment and promotion
from grade to grade. The teaching staff is often paid by the TSC in public schools.
However, it is relevant to heads of private schools.
  Job description on the other hand is a basic element to all positions in the school.
Such would provide a basis for job evaluation that is understood by both parties.
Upon satisfactory performance, a basis for promotions can be determined.
 The provision of welfare facilities and the devising of pension schemes. Beyond
the basic salary fringe benefits are motivational factor hat makes a difference to
workers.
 The preparation of contracts of employment and the drawing up of preparation
of contracts of employees.
 Dismissal of employees.

For employees out of fairness to the institution and the staff, detailed understanding of
he grounds for dismissal must be spelt out.

All the above functions of the personnel officer who is the headteacher will give
stability to a school and the staff. The certainty and competence of staff to work within
certain parameters will foster for the school programmes.

ix) Pupil personnel services.

This item entails orientation and admission of new students, testing programs, health
programmes, guidance and counselling and social work.

Orientation and Admission of New Students.

The headteacher has the full responsibility for orientation and admission of new
students to a school. These areas that had not been given much regard and yet all new
students are recent arrivals from the primary school whose set up is different from high
school. He new students must adjust to the new situation because there are new
programmes, new teachers and new facilities. Some students may have come from a
rural setting to an urban setting, and others from urban setting. There are also the
national, provincial , districts, private or public categories of schools. All categories of
schools present different and peculiar situations that a new student must come to
terms with. A proper orientation programme would ground the students on the school
philosophy, history and policies that will guide them through the duration of the
student’s life in the school.

Student Activities

Secondary schools are for adolescents so proper activities must be designed specifically
for them for self-discovery. These activities must be well though out to promote
individual social and community growth. Students achieve self-discovery through peer
group relations as they interact with one another. Adolescent stage is full of fear of
failing and looking like a foo, therefore designing programmes that allow for failure and
affirmation is important. The student’s confirmation as a member of the school and a
member of a class is another reason for proper activities being developed to address
these issues.

Tests

Testing programs are often carried out through continuous assessment test and end of
term examinations. These wo instruments should be carried out to measure real
classroom learning that was guided by the teacher concerned. And how well the
materials have been taught. Externally set instruments or tests may not reflect the
actual learning in the specific school. Such a test may include topics not yet covered. In
such a case students may not do well and therefore get discouraged. Care must be taken
therefore to develop students through tests and examinations.

Health programmes

Setting up a modest health nit in a school is important especially in remote boarding

schools. An arrangement ma also be made with a close by public dispensary to manage
he school health programmes. In areas prone to malaria, such an arrangement would
provide rapid response. Communicable diseases in a boarding schoolwould be manage
best too when a government dispensary relates well with a school. A rapid response
unit would ensue that the school is guarded against epidemic. Nutrition should be
regarded as a health issue that must be exercised in a school to provide a balanced diet.
Nutritional imbalance or deficiencies of certain elements and vitamins may cause
delinquent behaviour( Lazarides 1997 : p. 232). As reports of riots and violent strikes
abound in the print and electronic media, one wonders how much could have been
avoidedthrough proper nutritional management. Menu planning must be carefully done
to also coincide with availability of certain foods that are currently in season. Such plan
would also help cut down on food expenses and bring variety to the diet. Food
purchasing and record keeping in the cafeteria are chief functions for cateress.

Testing students for hearing and sight problems are a health issue that school
headteachers should take seriously. Sometime students may not be aware that they
have partial disabilities that affect their learning. Failure to attend to these needs may
also be cause for student indiscipline.

Other skills such as basic First Aid need to be amalgated into daily routines to include
fire drills and cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), shock treatments, burns and
others that service institutions like St. Johns Ambulance can provide.

Guidance and Counselling

This is an area that the government has encouraged teachers to be skilled. Providing
time for teachers or hiring thosetrained on guidance and counselling is another
headteacher’s responsibility. Because the society’s values, beliefs and mores have
changed cases for guidance and counselling are on the rise. Social work is a corollary of
the above concerns that the modern lifestyle has brought to our midst. HIV/AIDS,
broken homes, divorce or abandonment are real issues that the school heads are left to
deal with everyday.

Consequences of these situation are manifested in student class performance, or

behaviour problems or both.

Preventions must therefore be developmental and not punitive.

Sometimes issues may be amplified and end up causing more problems while if dealt
with in a low-key manner would cause less problems.

Gifted and Talented students

There are many remedial programmes in schools for poor performers, but few or none
exist for the exceptionally gifted o talented student. Care must be taken to identify and
provide for this category of child. This is the child who can drop out of school because
there is nothing to challenge them. This category of child may also get into trouble
easily as they may challenge the teacher trough their inquisitive nature. The teacher on
the other hand , may misconstrue this to mean rudeness or overbearing and punish the
student.

ACTIVITY:

Prepare and orientation programme for new students to our high school saying special
attention to your social economic set up and geographical location.

QUESTION:

Why should the headteacher be custodian of school orientation programme?

x) Educational Management Information System (EMIS)

This is an area that is neither understood nor used well in our schools. Schools generate
a lot of data regarding student bio-data, their performances, staff records, property and
eventsa theschool. But dew schools would access such information at a moment’s
notice because there is no proper record keeping system ha would catalogue, serialize
and store them safely. A systems clerk should be employed or a teacher trained to
carry out his important exercise. A god history of the school could be an asset hat rallies
old students around the school for purposes of development among other interest.
Proper record keeping would also provide a basis upon which good auditing can be
carried out, that would be kept under lock and key and ensured by he headteacher of
their safety. Records of school ownership, log books, insurance certificates and
payment bolls should be kept safely.

ACTIVITY

Compare the role of the headteacher as indicated here with that of the headteacher in
your current institution.

QUESTION

Theschool management is described as an eclectic field of study. Justify the statement.

Role of the Teacher.

Teaching is an honourable profession that has been written about by the countless
researchers. For instance, research on effective schools has concluded that many
factors in teaching contribute greatly to the school success. Among the many factors
identified is the “culture” of the school. The teacher is one of the main orchestrators of
the school “culture” by the kind of conditions they create in the classroom and the
school in general. These conditions must create interest and curiosity for students to
know and to learn. The teachers on the other hand, through their suppositions that are
either learnt or inherent in them support the students. Teachers have been described as
mentor and describers.

As a mentor

- Is a person who has authority to criticize as well as be constructive.

- They command as well as reflect
- Develops a building relationship with the students.
 - A person who can have interest in students learning, knowing and
make students feel valued.

As an explainer
- The teacher explains and creates an environment that is not boring
but enhancing for the pupil.
- A teacher who does not settle for routine and takes time to learn ow
students learn and think.
- Teachers who create in expectations forsuccess in their schools
Teacher’s role centers on integrity, humour , communization, learning and organization
precepts of their activity.

ACTIVITY
Design activities to enhance the school culture.

Question
What does the term school culture mean?
Further Reading
Alder, Mortimore, J. (1982) The Paideia Proposal. New York: Macmillan Publishing
Company
Beare, Hedley, Brian J. Caldwell and Ross H. Millikan (199) Creating an Excellent School.
London Rouledge
Busher, Hugh and Rene Saran (1995) Managing Teachers as professionals in Schools.
London; Kogan Page.
Cole, G. A. (1996) Management Practice: A theory of Practice, London; London
Publication. Government of Kenya, The Education Act Cap 211 of the Kenyan Laws.
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