Leadership Practices and Strategies to resolve teachers? challenges in Cameroon Secondary Schools
Authors:Awu Isaac Oben
Open Access
Journal Type:Review Article
Subject Field:Education Journal
Downloads:888
Publish Date:June 8, 2021 8:00 pm
Views:1045
Volume:78, Issue: 1, June, 2021
Subject:Education
Pages:18-36
Abstract
The absence of sufficient and effective support from school principals towards teachers' challenges leaves most
teachers to suffer a deficiency in their teaching-learning process, which of course makes it difficult to influence
teaching quality and school improvement in general. From this background, this study aimed at increasing the
understanding of leadership practices and strategies suitable for resolving teachers? challenges in Cameroon Secondary
Schools. Based on this systematic literature review, among many, this study reveals that there is a solid significant
relationship between leadership practices and resolution of teachers? challenges in secondary schools, at the same time,
both the school principals and teachers need professional growth, at varying degree. The school principals need to be
more skillful, experienced, and knowledgeable above an average teacher to be able to handle and resolve the
challenges faced by teachers. Etc. In addition to the already existing effective practices and strategies from empirical
evidence, such as; communication, conflict management, supervisory, motivation, boasting teachers? morale,
promotion of teachers, promotion of good work environment, and cordial interpersonal relationships which positively
influenced teachers? output/productivity Cameroon Secondary Schools, other more interactive practices and strategies
such as; counseling, coaching, and mentoring, were found effective, yet neglected due to busy schedule of principals,
so were encouraged to be used more frequently. Next, Shared Leadership, distributed leadership, transformational and
instructional leadership practice are found to be effective in resolving teachers' challenges, as such should be used to
empower and influence more teachers? experiences and development. Most importantly, instructional leadership
practice appears more effective with respect to the challenges teachers face, hence should be the core of school
principals? day-to-day administrative strategy because its effects such as quality feedback after supervision of
instruction will solve most of the problems teachers encounter in schools. In addition, the ten (10) professional
standards proposed by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration, which captures the principles of
almost all the above leadership practices and strategies are encouraged to use as a guide for principals day to day
running of schools. Because no one leadership practice and strategy is the best and comprehensive to tackle many
teachers' challenges, this study resolves that school principals in Cameroon should make use of a combination of
practices and strategies which can tackle teachers' challenges highlighted in this study. Finally, some strong
recommendations were made.