CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF SCHOOL BASED SUPERVISORY PRACTICES IN PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF HARAR TOWN

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the challenges and prospects of school based supervisory practices and suggest ways to improve their implementation in essence of bringing quality education in private secondary schools in the city of Harar.The study adopted a mixed research approach and a descriptive survey design. The target population of the study was 94, consisting of 59 teachers, 35 school based supervisors. Purposive sampling technique was used to select asample of 5 woredas and school based supervisors while private secondary schools and teachers were selected using simple random sampling as well as 5 principals and 5vice principals were selected using availability sampling technique to make the total number of respondents 65.Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics in terms of frequency tables and percentages were used to analyze the quantitative data while thematic approach was used to analyze qualitative data. The findings of the study revealed that as the current proficiency level of supervisors and supervisees in terms of its conceptual, technical and interpersonal skills in general, and its objectives, purposes, approaches, functions and principles as well as the supportive, and collaborative roles it plays the distinct characteristics it may have to bring professional development and quality education were specifically evaluated below standard by more than half (51.5%) of the respondents. Similarly efforts being made by SBS towards professional development in terms of facilitating short term training, initiating their respective teachers, implementing the system of self-assessment, class room observation and peer supervision, being role model and facilitating scholarship opportunities to their respective supervisees were claimed in their insignificant amountby most of the respondents. Due tothe limitations they faced with proficiency skills, both supervisors’ and supervisees’ contributions to the existing challenges of school based supervisory practices in the sampled schools also observed inevitably in terms of their gaps with using strategically planned and well organized supervisory practices, regular pre-supervision need assessment, taking part experienced teachers in to the process of overall tasks of school-based instructional supervision, professionally mastered, integrated and well communicated tasks of supervision. With the intension to overcome the existing challenges of school based supervisory practices some of the strategies recommended by respondents of the study were the need to employ tasks of reshaping teachers’ and supervisors’ professional understanding, the need to use various approaches of supervisory practices on the bases of teachers’ experiences and participatory form of school based supervisory practices. Finally, the study justified the existence of most of the prospects of the school based supervisory practices in their theoretical level only, which the need of additional efforts to use these prospects practically assuming them as the potential ingredients of instructional supervision.