The Role Perceptions of Government and Non-Government Headteachers in Pakistan

Abstract

Relatively little systematic research has been undertaken on the role of the principal/headteacher in developing countries. In this study six headteachers of government and non-government secondary schools in Karachi were interviewed in depth and five completed diaries of their activities for one week. The study drew upon Rosemary Stewart's analysis of management roles in terms of the demands and constraints which are placed upon managers and the ways in which available choices are exercised by them. Significant differences were found both between and within government and non-government sectors. This paper describes these findings and explores their implications for educational change.

The principalship in developing countries: context, characteristics and reality

“…The Ministry of Education (MOE) in many countries (e.g. China, Thailand, Singapore, Malta, Nigeria, Pakistan) designs a unified national curriculum, syllabus, materials and exams and guides funding and staffing of schools, including teacher selection, recruitment and staff development (Uwazurike, 1991;Fenech, 1994;Hallinger et al, 1994;Ligget et al, 1997;Simkins et al, 1998;Morriss et al, 1999). Fenech (1994) illustrated this feature by the Maltese example: 'The allocation of teachers to the various classes in the school is perhaps the only organizational decision which is left in the hands of the principals' (p. 131).…”

“…It is hardly surprising, then, that a Pakistani principal considered himself to be a doorman only (Simkins et al, 1998), and Hokal and Shaw (1999) concluded that the role of principals in the United Arab Emirates is thus made insignificant and ritualized, at any rate by 'western standards' (p. 177).…”

“…Reasonably, where a national curriculum is forced on schools, principals are required to complete the government-prescribed syllabus per se, rather than develop and improve school curriculum and textbooks. In this vein, a Chinese principal cited by Bush et al (1998) confirmed that 'the main approach to teaching is to carry out the syllabus decided by the government and teachers have little right to change the curriculum' (p. 189), and his counterpart in Pakistan who asked for changes in the national curriculum was ignored (Simkins et al, 1998;Memon et al, 2000). In Ghana and Botswana the scope of curricular activities is small because of principals' preoccupation with many managerial and organizational problems (Harber & Dadey, 1993).…”

“…In Thailand these are the criteria for promotion that are loosely connected with job performance and the system's reward structure that discourages risk-taking (Hallinger et al, 1994). In addition, the centralized, controlled systems, characterizing many developing countries, are considered to be a major factor for principals' tendency towards conservativeness and avoidance of change in Singapore (Zhang, 1994) and Pakistan (Simkins et al, 1998).…”

Professional Development with Follow-up for an Effective Paradigm Shift

“…Quality teachers need quality educational leaders who are well equipped to bring positive change within the school system [2]. Therefore, this study is significant as its findings may provide alternative structures and strategies towards improving the quality of professional development programmes within the Pakistani context.…”