School managers’ implementation of the national education standards for secondary school improvement: The case of four secondary schools in Salima District

Abstract

The Malawi government, through the Ministry of Education, developed the National Education Standards (NES) in 2015 to improve the quality of education in all primary, secondary, and teacher educational institutions. There are three categories of standards focusing on improving students’ performance, teaching, and leadership and management. School Managers ought to play a greater role in ensuring that all the standards are effectively implemented. So far, there has not been any comprehensive study on how the NES are being implemented by secondary school managers. It is against this background that this study was conceived to assess the role of school managers in the implementation of the NES for school improvement in four selected secondary schools in Salima District. The study used a qualitative research method, which employed a case study design. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants who were head teachers, heads of departments and Quality Assurance Officers (Inspectors) from the Central East Education Division. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews and document review to provide methodological triangulation. The thematic analysis method was used to deductively and inductively analyse the data. The results of the study indicated that the implementation of the national education standards was being done partially. The study revealed that ineffective orientation, infrequent and ineffective supervision, inadequate support and resources, and a negative attitude towards the NES negatively affected the implementation of the NES. To mitigate such challenges, the study has established that re-orientation of all stakeholders, allocation of adequate resources, involvement of all stakeholders, and intensified supervision should be done by school managers. The study has concluded that failure to effectively conduct orientation of all stakeholders of the implementation of the NES is a major contributing factor to the challenges the program is facing.