A study of managerial challenges that newly recruited secondary school principals face in Kiambu District of Central Province.

Abstract

Education consumes huge resources both as a proportion of national budget and individual household budget. The efficient and effective management of the educational resources calls for high caliber personnel with excellent managerial expertise. Most educational administrators however have inadequate managerial skills. This is largely the status in most educational institutions in this country.

This study endeavored to find out the managerial challenges faced by newly recruited secondary school principals, their level of professional training in educational management and intervention measures being undertaken to improve their managerial skills. It further tried to establish whether the performance of these principals is affected by their gender and lack of professional training in educational administration. The research questions were formulated in line with the above objectives. The literature reviewed delved into concept of management development. status of principal-ship development in Kenya and the world and finally on the managerial tasks of secondary school administrators.

Ex- post facto research design was employed. Purposeful (judgmental) sampling was applied and yielded a sample of twenty-sex en newly recruited secondary school principals and two education officers (at district level and at MOEST headquarters). A questionnaire was used collect data and its validity was established as adequate. An interview schedule was used to collect the responses of the education officers. The

questionnaire return rate was 100%. The data from questionnaires was analysed and interpreted using frequencies, percentages and descriptive statistics.

In answering the research questions it was established that newly recruited principals faced managerial challenges due to lack of professional training 111 educational management. It was also established that the principals did not undergo co-ordinate induction programmes to help them settle in their jobs and they lacked opportunities to acquire skills in educational management. It was also established that these principals did not have formal avenues of coping with these managerial challenges resulting to self­ initiated mechanism for the same.

The last chapter is the summary of the study and among the conclusion made is that there are fewer newly recruited female principal than male. These principals are both academically and professionally qualified to warrant the status. These principals also had managerial skills in some tasks of educational management and finally that there is need to co-ordinate the training and induction of these principals. The study recommended that a national qualification for headship in secondary schools be established and a comprehensive management development for newly recruited principals be developed backed with adequate funding. Another recommendation was the establishment of head­ teachers support groups (HTSGS) in schools to act as a form of peer support mechanism. The study finally recommended areas of further research in order to generate information on how to raise the quality of training and induction of newly recruited principals.