Views of private primary school headteachers in Somalia about what it means to be professional headteacher

Tarah, Abdishakur (2023) Views of private primary school headteachers in Somalia about what it means to be professional headteacher. Doctoral thesis, The University Of Buckingham.

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Abstract

A study carried out by the World Bank in 2018 recommended that there is a need to further study the role of school leadership, as they have important roles in determining the quality of schooling. This research investigated the views held by headteachers of private primary schools in Somalia about what it means to be a professional headteacher. The research acknowledges that the enormity of the effects on education during armed conflict and post-conflict was felt everywhere, including the total destruction of the education infrastructure, teacher training provision, the disappearance of teachers and other education professionals, as well as the preparation and development of school leaders. The main rationale behind focusing on private over public schools in Somalia is the wider representation of schools by non-state private schools. Regions do vary in the number of existing private schools. Over 65% of schools in Somalia are privately owned, and this made the study focus on the headteachers of this subsector. Globally, there is typically a lack of an agreed-upon set of definitions and limited information on education providers. In Somalia’s context, the definition of state and non-state schools is contested, and the absence of a commonly agreed-upon definition is a challenge for those who are interested in carrying out research about the subsector. The study highlights the significance of the role of headteachers in improving school performance and the management practices often deployed successfully. School leaders will require a broad range of skills, experience, personal qualities, or traits that make them more stable and resilient in order to effectively discharge these important roles. The study also presents a range of arguments about the eligibility and conditions for the professionalisation of a headteacher from international and regional perspectives. The study adopted a qualitative approach. A number of data collection tools were used, including semi-structured interviews and observations. Twenty-nine participants were interviewed, and eight were observed. For ethical purposes, the data collected in Somali was transcribed into English externally. The findings of the study indicate that participants held different views about being a professional headteacher, but they commonly agreed that a headteacher must hold a professional qualification in teaching, leadership, and management as well as leadership experience. Recommendations were made to a number of key players in the education sector in Somalia, including school owners, governments at both the state and federal levels, as well as private school associations and research institutions, for further research possibilities.

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