Methods used by Head of Schools in Managing Conflict in Improving Teachers Morale in Public Secondary Schools in Chato District in Tanzania

Abstract

Head of schools in public secondary schools play a key role in establishing the adhesive that links the outdoor environment and while doing such important duty, conflict during implementation is not too far especially during conflict management. At the same time head of schools have different alternative in attacking the challenges. This study examines challenges which head of schools encounter during resolving conflict and techniques used to stand as way forward towards challenges. Primary data were collected using questionnaire and focus group discussion tools from 133 respondents who are teachers, 30 school board members, 6 head of schools and 1 district education officer. The sample was chosen from each selected secondary school within Chato district by simple random sampling technique. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS ver. 20, IBM, USA). The high spot that some challenges faced by heads of school in managing conflict are lack of conflict management skills, biasness, scarce financial resources, low awareness on responsibilities to some teachers, lack of evidence, and political interference. The study revealed that the possible solutions used by the head of school in arguing conflict included the use of school board members, avoidance of favoritism, availabilities and good distribution of resources, ignoring conflict and collaborating. In this matter conflict is inevitable in secondary schools; however, there are means of managing challenges that are encountered in the course of managing conflict in schools. Therefore, government through the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training should focus on great need for heads of secondary schools and teachers to be trained in conflict management.