New leadership paradigms for 21st century schools: A case for sub-Saharan Africa

Africa today is groaning under the weight of immense socio-economic challenges. its societal systems are under so much attack and its people are indeed floundering. Part of Africa’s challenges stem from its own history of colonial rule and the subjugation of the African people. Its education history particularly leaves a lot to be desired, especially in the light of the colonial legacy where the colonial administration did not invest seriously in the education of the African people. After independence, the educational gaps in the society were immense. Post independent Africa has not faired much better. Education in many sub-Saharan countries still lags behind. As a result of this history, we find that human capital has not been fully tapped in order to aid the development of the continent.

What is needed is a new paradigm in school leadership and administration in African schools with the goal of transforming school systems and the educational environment as a whole in order to produce graduates of a high caliber who are able to face the 21st century with its opportunities and challenges. What then are the new leadership qualities, skills and capacities that are needed for the prospective school administrator or leader?

The goal of this paper is to examine school leadership through the lense of transformational, contingency, and team leadership theories and draw some lessons that can be applied to school leadership in sub-Saharan Africa.

In this essay, we will look at what others have said about transformational leadership and its implications for school leadership in particular.

In a recent article written by a leading Kenyan newspaper, school heads were interviewed and were asked what were some of the challenges they faced in school leadership. Many answered that there greatest challenge was that they did not feel prepared for the tasks of school management and leadership. Inadequate training and preparation greatly hampered there work. I believe however, that beyond learning the management skills of running a day to day operation of a school. School heads need to cultivate leadership skills that will transform their schools into places of excellence where all involved thrive and excel.

A transformative school leader will be one who will cast the vision about where he or she wants to see the school head. This leader will inspire all the stakeholders in the educational enterprise to seize moments of opportunities for excellence. As a transformative person, the school leader will be ready to take risks, create new visions, and change people’s perception about themselves and their situation. The leader will build new relationships and new structures that fosters a healthy learning climate. The leader will also work at creating a new culture that is open to new ideas and approaches that enhances the school operates.

The 21st century school leaders must learn to be collaborators and co-participants with all the stakeholders in the educational community, including parents, children, policy makers and other community leaders. School leaders can gain tremendous insight by listening and drawing ideas from a wide variety of people in order to enhance the effectiveness of schools. Effective school leaders will be those who will be able to cope with conflict, set new directions, align resources and inspire all stakeholders. They will empower all stakeholders to create longterm vision, define and clarify problems and opportunities, create and commit to improvement strategies and take action. Such leaders will require courage, commitment, and empathy.
One of the major problems that has plagued school leadership in many sub-Saharan countries is the use of top-down approach to leadership where it is assumed that the boss knows it all and he or she should be the one to come up with all the solutions. This, has resulted in ineffective school performance and massive failure. Many teachers and heads acknowledge that this has been the scenario for decades. Nevertheless, many have come to realize that this practice needs to change. Many African schools are now adopting bottom-up approach to educational leadership....You can request for a copy of this whole paper from: mkimosop@hotmail.com