THE EFFECT OF SCHOOL PRINCIPALS’ LEADERSHIP ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IN GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF SOFI WOREDA, HARARI REGIONAL STATA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of School Principals’ Leadership on the implementation of School Improvement Program in government primary Schools of Sofi District, Harari region. In this study, a descriptive survey research design was used with quantitative and qualitative approach. The sample for this study included four primary schools, selected through simple random sampling, out of a total population of 23 government primary schools in Sofi District. The total sample size for this study were 104 individuals, consisting of 84 teachers, 4 school improvement committee members, 4 grade 8 classroom representative students, and 4 supervisors and four principals and four vice principals from the four government primary schools of Sofi District. The grade 8 classroom representative students were selected through purposive sampling as they were expected to have better experiences and knowledge of the effect of school leadership on the school improvement program. Out of a total population of 148 teachers (87 males and 61 females), 84 (56.76%) were selected as the sample through simple random sampling, where each member of the population had an equal and independent chance of being selected. The finding of the study revealed that majority of the activities in the preparation phase of the school improvement program were not effectively implemented by primary school leaders. Particularly, it revealed primary school leaders were preparing a non-collaborative SIP plan which was prepared without the participation of stakeholders and undergoing adequate assessment with stakeholders faced great challenges during its implementation. Therefore, from the finding, it is possible to conclude that school leaders of the Sofi District were not effective in making adequate preparation before planning SIP. Based on the major findings of the study, it is recommended that primary school leaders should need to aware and convince responsible bodies such as the SIP committee, parents, teachers, students through continuous discussion and work with them