PRACTICE AND CHALLENGES IN THE DECENTRALIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF OROMIA SPECIAL ZONE SURROUNDING FINFINNE

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to assess the practices and challenges of decentralization of educational management in selected secondary schools of Oromia special zone surrounding Finfine.. Descriptive survey research design was used.122 respondents from Teachers, 75 respondents from school leader ship ( school principals and department heads), 8 supervisors and 8 PTA heads of secondary schools in Oromia special zone surrounding Finfine were used as sampling unit and surveyed. A supervisor and PTA heads were interviewed. The secondary schools were selected from the eight woreda based on random sampling. Survey questionnaire and key informant interviews were used to collect the necessary information. Data were analyzed using the “Statistical Package for the Social Sciences” (SPSS) version 20 software. The findings showed that there are noticeable improvements in the level of transferring authority to recruit teaching staff, financial and material resources administration and developing the teachers’ capacity at lower levels. Nevertheless, the findings indicate some core limitations and gaps which require timely corrective measures. These are the existence of weak school administration system; shortage of experienced teachers; lack of motivation and inadequacy of training; inadequacy of instructional aid, poor dedication and lack of parents’ participation. These all are the implication for the challenges of decentralization of educational management in secondary schools of Oromia special zone surrounding Finfine. Recommendations were also given to Oromia special zone to put certain strategies that make stakeholders more accountable for discharging their responsibility, school heads to plan to provide training to the school teachers according to an ongoing program, supervisors to do evaluation for the benefits of both the school and the teachers, school heads to make an effort to increase teachers’ job satisfaction, the WEO to strengthen its role in the school teaching-learning process and parents to support their children at home, follow-up in doing home-work.