Practice and challenges of training and development of primary schools principals in primary schools of Ambo Woreda, West Shoa Zone

Abstract

Training and development practice is very crucial to schools’ principals to develop their career while they are engaged in their occupation in particular and the organization or institution in general. The purpose of the study was to Analysis Practice and challenges of training and development of primary schools’ principals in primary schools of Ambo Woreda, West Shoa Zone. The study employed a mixed method which consisting of quantitative and qualitative approaches to collect and analyze data. Samples of primary schools and study participants were drawn from 47 primary schools were selected using purposive sampling and census approach. Self-developed questionnaire was employed as the main data collection instrument in addition to interview and document analysis. To collect primary data, questionnaire with closed and open ended questions and interviews were employed. Interview was conducted to triangulate the information obtained through questionnaire. The quantitative data were first edited, organized, tabulated, and then analyzed. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation, by using SPSS (V.20) while qualitative data from interview were thematized and narrated to support the quantitative analysis and triangulated data. The findings indicated that training and development practices involvement were at moderate level. On training and development practices Principals were not collaboratively in solving educational challenges and the contribution of school development plans promotes to implementing training and development practices were found to be inadequate. the findings also reveals that among the major constraints/challenges in the departments to prepare and implement training and development programs, some of them were: low attention paid by the top level managers towards TDP, lack of commitment of higher officials, absence of training and development needs assessment, absence of clear and transparent long-term TDP guide-lines, lack of proper orientation, lack of proper orientation/induction, absence of monitoring and evaluating TDPs, lack of adequate budget, selection of inappropriate trainees and trainers, allocation of insufficient time, problem of keeping records of all the TDPs and giving priority to other activities were ranked accordingly.as a result the researcher recommended that based on the MoE/REB, education departments should draft TDP guidelines for short-term and long-term training and development programs at their level. In addition, Wereda, Zonal and Regional education offices and bureaus should provide capacity building training and short courses to develop the capacity and effectiveness of school principals through training and development.