RECOMMENDATIONS

The study revealed specific recommendations and recommendations for further study are also made.

6.5.1 Recommendations emerging from the study

From the research study and the experiences shared by the female head teachers several recommendations became apparent that could be beneficial to educational administration and female leadership in primary schools in rural areas. They include an awareness of and the implementation of the gender policy set up by the ministry of education, the inclusion of preparation programmes for educational administrators, and also developing a mentoring network for female school leaders.

6.5.1.1 Preparation programmes

It was apparent from this study that one of the reasons for the under-representation of women in education administration is the fact that women avoid applying for leadership positions. It also emerged that those women aspiring for leadership feel unprepared for headship, as they had no

prior training directly related to their work (sections 1.1; 2.4.3; 5.4.1.2). This aspect could be addressed by ensuring that all aspiring head teachers attend a management course at KESI, in accordance with the recommendation of the policy on the identification and deployment of primary school head teachers (section 3.5.1). These courses could be made more attainable, and could include a larger number of participants by being advertised long beforehand, and offered at the county level at specific times of the year.

In addition, women could also be exposed to programmes tailored for women and aimed at empowering them, namely by developing their self-awareness and self-belief, as well as their leadership skills.

6.5.1.2 Gender policy in education

All stakeholders in education should be made aware of and participate in implementing the strategies laid out in the Ministry of Education’s gender policy on education, aimed at addressing issues on gender in governance and management in the education sector (Republic of Kenya 2007:28-29) (section 3.3). The progress of this implementation should be monitored at all levels to ensure proper gender representation in education management.

6.5.1.3 Mentoring network

As noted previously in the study, the presence of mentors and role-models is essential in improving the participation of women in educational leadership (sections 1.6; 2.3.3; 2.5.7; 5.4.4.1). An effective mentoring network could provide guidance and support to females who are reluctant to enter leadership, and encourage those who are already in leadership to do their work better. This mentoring could have a positive impact on the number of women in school leadership.

The network of mentoring can be achieved by having experienced women educational leaders reaching out to their novice colleagues, and by modeling leadership styles. Successful female head teachers and educational officers could also be assigned to beginners, to aspiring female teachers and to already active head teachers who may have problems with self-confidence, to assist and guide them along the leadership path. Another avenue of providing mentorship would be the forming of networking groups in districts where women could meet to empower one another, and to gain the strength and courage to continue. In these networking forums,

female teachers to be mentored could be identified according to the potential the leaders will have identified in them in their respective schools.

6.5.1.4 Reflection on leadership

Female head teachers in the field are encouraged to reflect on their perceptions of leadership, and how they communicate it to would-be aspirants (section 5.4.4.1). The female head teachers are called to recognize the immense effect that their mentorship may have on the next crop of educational leaders.

6.5.1.5 Adequate staffing

The Teachers’ Service Commission needs to ensure adequate staffing in all schools in order to reduce the head teachers’ teaching workload (section 5.4.2.2c). In this way the head teachers would have the time to deal with their administrative duties.

6.5.1.6 Remuneration

The government should consider reviewing the remuneration offered to head teachers in order that more women are attracted to school leadership (sections 3.5.1; 5.4.4.1).

6.5.2 Recommendations for further study

The limited literature on the topic of female primary school head teachers calls for more research on the topic. Some of the areas that were left uncovered by this study which would benefit from further research are:

• a study of deputy head teachers and senior teachers would be appropriate in order to collect data on gender in those positions, as well as on the aspirations of those who are already holding those positions;

• an investigation into the number of female teachers who academically and professionally qualify for positions of headship in accordance with the laid down policy, and an exploration of the reasons why they have not sought administrative positions, or if they have, what the hindrances were in their achieving the positions; • a study on the female teachers’ perceptions of school leadership;

• a replication of the study of the female head teachers’ lived experiences in other counties in the country;

• a replication of the study of the lived experiences of male head teachers in rural primary schools would help the authorities to understand whether men experienced it differently;

• an investigation into the teachers’ training programmes to assess how women are assisted to develop a strong self-concept in their preparation for leadership;

• a comparison between aspiring and non-aspiring female teachers to ascertain the differences in their perception of leadership;

• research on female head teachers can also be done by controlling the variables, such as age, parenthood, marital status and years of service in headship; and

• an exploration of the female head teachers’ lived experiences with data obtained by means of observation. This would likely add greater context, and triangulate the findings by expanding upon self-report.