Missing Links and Ineffective Communication

The missing link between central and local accountability structures creates communication gaps. Little lateral interaction, capacity engagement and information sharing between

national, intermediate and local accountability structures appear to explain the ambiguity in principals’ professional expectations. Talking about their experiences, all principals suggest little clarity on leadership roles. Nabeko and Bidobe principals respectively contend,

Here you become everything; you are a nurse, a police officer, a counsellor etc. It is a jack of all trades

and a master of none. In Kenya, the role of the principal is not clearly defined (Emphasis) …The work of a principal is very challenging because you are expected to be everything (Emphasis). You should

be a doctor, a police officer, a CID. Hence, this calls for too much on us as leaders.

These extracts suggest school principals struggle meeting wide and multiple responsibilities; highlighting the multi-dimensions in expectations and the uncertainty over what specifically principals should focus on. The emphases not only point to the pressure such ambiguity places on leaders’ shoulders but also, illustrates the ambiguity in leadership practices. Importantly, principals may indeed be overwhelmed with much other accounting

responsibility in the effort to meet varied demands, subsequently threatening the time, the priority and focus on students learning as discussed below.

Muddled accountability structures add to the demands on school leaders, shifting attention from core pedagogical processes in schools. However, the dilemma arises when school leaders’ appraisal ignores the various accountability requirements and narrowly focus on students’ grades. I asked, what role leadership plays in school and students’ achievement? All principals denote the little clarity on the definition of achievement and contend the little consideration given to other achievements. Bidobe principal claims appraisals narrowly focus on students’ achievement grades in examinations.

When we say, the principal must account for many things, anything going wrong the principal. In fact, we work more on other things rather than the teaching itself. However, when results are out

concentration is just on ranking academic exams. Let this change… Personally, I feel I have achieved; starting a school from nothing and establishing it is a big achievement for me. Even the acceptance that a local girl can go to school is an achievement. Therefore, MOE should consider many things before making suggestions of demoting a principal.

The extract communicates principal frustration over the imprecision of accountability requirements and the narrow focus on students’ grades. Expressing dissatisfaction with the narrowly focused appraisal system, the principal suggests that ambivalence in role

expectations are rarely considered. The narrow appraisal seems to demoralise principals as they determine career progress based on students’ results regardless of the pressure to meet all other accountability requirements. Certainly, such conflicting role expectations with non- matching appraisal have potential to alter school leadership practices.

Moreover, the muddled accountability structures appear to fuel tensions in schools due to lack of clarity on teacher appraisal systems. Teachers not only appear uncertain but also laments the unclear procedures of appraisal, promotion and professional growth. Sideki DOS, expressing the uncertainty on teacher promotion procedures states,

I have never received a promotion for the 20 years I have worked for TSC, I have never received any appointment for an position. We survive on internal appointments (Emphasis). This is happening across all schools. Half HODs population have TSC appointment letters, the other half does not.

Similarly, Bageno HODs lament about the uncertainty with which TSC appraises and promotes teachers.

We are not sure whether the principal submits school appointments to TSC for approval (Emphasis).

However, TSC has stagnated for long without promoting teachers. Even job groups we have stagnated for so long; you stay in one job group for over 10 years, and there is little promotion. Like in this school, we produce very good results but promotion is hard to come by. It has been like this for long until people now mock us that we are just producing good results but we do not think about ourselves.

These teachers illustrate the uncertainty of appraisal procedures by TSC. Importantly, they exemplify a lack of clear communication and clarity of appraisal procedures. Bageno teachers suggest the school had posted excellent results over time with minimal accompanying teacher recognition or promotion. Sideki DOS claims such scenarios left teachers at the mercy of principals, describing the situation as surviving on internal promotions. The emphases point to tensions arising from such uncertainties, which may have implications on how teacher relate to their seniors. Some principals may capitalise on such uncertainties to drive their own agendas and marginalise, isolate or exclude some teachers’ voices (witnesses in C1 schools). It may further explain tendencies of teacher apathy and withdrawal (Analysed further in

section 6.3).

This section has illustrated how the missing links and ineffective communication between different levels of accountability structures shape core leadership roles and practices. Ambiguities in principals’ professional expectations seem overwhelming and threatening to time, priority and focus on students learning and achievement. The section has exemplified how these conflicting role expectations with non-matching appraisal may fuel tensions in schools; altering school interrelationships and leadership practices. Conflicting multiple accounting systems went beyond the national bodies; at local levels, other accounting systems put pressure on school leadership activities. Local bodies made demands on school leaders, sometimes with little regard for MOE and TSC national policies. Section 6.2 analyses the intersection between local politics and policy expectations.