The Second Major Theme: Solutions

The head teachers expressed their views and provided a number of suggestions regarding how to increase the level of usefulness of the development programmes. The head teachers suggested that there should be official preparatory programmes for heads prior to their being appointed to positions, and that after they have been appointed these programmes should be followed by continuous professional

development based on an identification of their learning, development and support needs.

Figure 21 The sub-themes of the second theme: Solutions

The solutions theme, as Figure (21) above shows, includes sub-themes that represent possible suggestions as to how to raise the standard of development. These are coaching, continuous professional development, an efficient administrative team, financial reward, flexibility, formal networks, a good quality training programme, identifying learning, development and support needs, link between salary and performance, practical training, preparatory training, visits, social awareness, power, school competition, valuing the position of head teacher and reducing roles and responsibilities.

Within the theme of solutions is the sub-theme of coaching and coaches. The latter are generally considered to be the main solution for developing school head teachers; however, this method is not applied in Saudi Arabia:

We need coaches on educational training programmes or even professional people from companies who are qualified to develop our abilities. (Head teacher 1)

I would prefer the people who present the training programme to be motivated, supportive, younger, and for them to be coaches. (Head teacher 15)

With regard to solutions, and in terms of developing heads through coaching, several respondents claimed that it is too difficult to apply coaching in our context:

I don’t think we have a strong enough infrastructure to do coaching or development between us because we are tired of meetings at the Education Administration Centre and that I think comes from the nature of our job. That makes us feel weary. Therefore, I don’t think we are yet ready to carry out development in the form of coaching between ourselves. (Head Teacher 12)

To be honest, I don’t know what you mean by coaching. (Head teacher 15)

According to the participating head teachers, the concept of development is not considered to be important, as illustrated by the following comments:

One of the ways of developing school heads is to allow them to study for a master’s degree in educational management. It would be highly beneficial for education if all head teachers had master’s degrees in educational management. But you come across a lot of obstacles put up by the Ministry of Education which prevent you from doing further studies. (Head teacher 12)

I think the idea of developing heads is not something the Ministry of Education takes into consideration. (Head teacher 15).

The school head teachers suggested that the development programme should be more practical than theoretical:

As heads we need a constant and regular practical training programme. We don’t need theoretical modules such as what

is a headship? What are the objectives of headship? What is a plan? (Head teacher 5)

Another suggestion as to how head teachers might develop was found in the sub-theme ‘financial reward’. This sub-theme explains that the possibility of financial rewards could motivate head teachers to engage in developmental programmes.

We need foundations such as powers, motivation, incentives in the form of financial reward and morale boosters, trust and special preparation programmes for people who want to appoint heads. (Head teacher 15)

The head teachers claimed that society is ignorant of the value of their positions, and therefore it is suggested that school heads should be given the power to make decisions and that social awareness of the value of the position of the head teacher should be raised:

The most important thing for heads is to give them a sense of the importance and value of the position of head teacher in administrative work by giving him the power to make decisions. (Head teacher 10)

We need to have trust shown by the Educational Administration Centre: for instance, by [giving us] an operational budget for our schools. (Head teacher 15)

The last two solutions relate to the value of preparatory programmes for heads and reducing the roles and responsibilities of head teachers.

To be honest, teachers are reluctant to nominate themselves [for the position], because through working with their heads they know that head teachers are not prepared [for the job], so they might face these challenges in the future. (Head teacher 18)

In summary, the major theme of solutions included all the above aspects that the head teachers suggested are necessary to develop heads professionally, and which are based on the returns they expect for their work. Their suggestions emerged from their experiences of suffering in their own positions at their schools, and thus gave rise to

another major theme called ‘barriers’, which reflects the enormous challenges and obstacles that are preventing them from developing. Taken in conjunction with the theme of ‘solutions’, the ‘barriers’ theme will help to give the reader an even clearer picture of the current situation. The ‘barriers’ theme is elaborated on in the next section.