Abstract:
The main objective of the study was to assess the practices of diversity management in secondary
schools of zone two of Afar Regional State. Mixed research method with exploratory sequential
research design was employed for this study. In order to collect data, researcher used
questionnaire, interviews and documents analysis. Questionnaires were distributed to 32 school
leaders’ team and secondary school supervisors, and 189 secondary school teachers were
distributed. In addition to this, eight school principals were interviewed. To analyze the data,
frequency, percentage, mean score, standard deviation, and independent t-test were utilized.
Finding of the study revealed that: promoting the positive aspect of diversity management was
not equally done in secondary schools, school leaders confirmed that teachers were in a low
level in management of ethnicity, religious, language and cultural diversity, diversity
management has effect on students’ disciplines and good character, diversity management
enhance respecting of language, personality and culture of one another, diversity management
enables people to reject rejection and maximizes the full potential of all, diversity management
considerably enhances students’ development in the cognitive, affective, and interpersonal
domains and diversity management in secondary school also boosts teachers’ motivation in
secondary schools. The results of the analysis indicated that diversity management is
significantly affecting academic achievement of the learners in secondary schools, factors such
as socio-economic conditions, lack of knowledge and experience in of diversity management,
lack of representing, lack of supporting and appraising diversity in school were prominently
affecting diversity management. In addition to this, the schools have no strategic and systematic
way of diversity problem-solving scheme, and the attitude of teachers and the school
management challenges ethnic, language and cultural diversity of the school and also it was as
moderate level in affecting the practices of diversity management. Thus, to improve the situation,
there should be awareness creation training session, enhancing promotion of diversity
management by using different promotional mechanism, working with government authorities
and nonpublic organization to resolve and minimize factors affecting diversity management in
secondary schools. It was also recommended that further scientific studies should be conducted
in order to enhance commitments of stakeholder as the whole community in a way to make
peoples understanding in accepting diversity as a opportunity and blessing in education
organization.
