Practices and Challenges of Implementation of School Improvement Program in Secondary Schools of Metekel Zone

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to assess the practices and challenges of school improvement program implementation in secondary school, to identify the major achievements made, to identify, basic problems associated with the implementation of school improvement program /SIP/ and then to provide recommendations to identified problems. To achieve these purposes four basic research questions related to the practices and challenges of SIP in secondary schools were set. Descriptive survey methodology was employed and simple random sampling, purposive sampling and area or cluster sampling techniques were used. Accordingly, questionnaire, interview and focused group discussion were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data and pilot test was conducted and questionnaire administered to 74 teachers, 9, principals, 7 cluster supervisors.86 (eight six) Questionnaires were properly filled and retuned. Interviews were conducted with 7 woreda education office experts, 1 zone education office and 32 PTA members. In addition, focus group discussion was conducted with 58 SIPC members. Then the information obtained through questionnaires was analyzed using percentage and mean value and the information gathered from interview and focus group discussion was qualitatively described. The finding of this study indicates that the practices of school improvement have been low in most cases, medium in some cases and high in rare cases. Due to this, the status of school improvement program implementations was not to the expected level. The achievements made so far are not encouraging and no significant efforts have been made to strengthen the implementation of school improvement program. Thus, to overcome the major problems associated with the implementation of school improvement program, recommendations have been for warded; this include: preparing adequate awareness creation program to ensure practical involvement of all stake holders, organizing and allocating the necessary resources, providing proper technical support and practical training to support the implementation of school improvement program(SIP)