Primary School Leadership in Post-Conflict Rwanda: A Narrative Arc PDF
Preview Primary School Leadership in Post-Conflict Rwanda: A Narrative Arc
Gilbert Karareba · Simon Clarke · Thomas O’Donoghue PRIMARY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN POST-CONFLICT RWANDA A Narrative Arc Primary School Leadership in Post-Conflict Rwanda Gilbert Karareba • Simon Clarke Thomas O’Donoghue Primary School Leadership in Post- Conflict Rwanda A Narrative Arc Gilbert Karareba Simon Clarke Graduate School of Education Graduate School of Education The University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia Crawley, Perth, Western Australia Crawley, Perth, Western Australia Australia Australia Thomas O’Donoghue Graduate School of Education The University of Western Australia Crawley, Perth, Western Australia Australia ISBN 978-3-319-60263-9 ISBN 978-3-319-60264-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-60264-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017947044 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the pub- lisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institu- tional affiliations. Cover illustration: JfJacobsz / Getty stock images Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland C ontents 1 I ntroduction 1 2 The Broad Context 23 3 Overview of the Literature 61 4 Historical Background to Primary School Leadership from Colonial Times Until 1994 97 5 Developments in Relation to Primary School Leadership in Rwanda Since the Genocide of 1994 123 6 Concerns of School Leaders and Associated Strategies Adopted by Them 147 7 Overview, Discussion, and Conclusion 185 References 215 Index 237 v L A ist of bbreviAtions DEO District Education Officer DFID Department for International Development EDPRS Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy EFA Education for All ESSP Education Sector Strategic Plan ICT Information Communication Technology IMF International Monetary Fund MDG Millennium Development Goals MINEDUC Ministry of Education MRND M ouvement Révolutionnaire National pour le Développement NGO Non-Government Organisation NYBE Nine Year Basic Education OLPC One Laptop per Child PEER Programme for Education for Emergencies and Reconstruction PEI Province Education Inspector PRK People’s Republic of Kampuchea REB Rwanda Education Board RPF Rwandan Patriotic Front SAC School Audit Committee SAP Structural Adjustment Programme SEI Sector Education Inspector SEO Sector Education Officer SGAC School General Assembly Committee vii viii LIST OF ABBREvIATIONS TEP Teachers’ Emergency Package UK United Kingdom UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNTAC United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia UNTAET United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor UPE Universal Primary Education vvOB vlaamse vereniging voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking en Technische Bijstand (Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance) CHAPTER 1 Introduction The contingency theories of leadership that gained prominence during the 1970s and 1980s are still relevant to current leadership practice (Bush, 2008; Simpson, 1999). These theories hold that leadership is context- bound and that “context is the vehicle through which the agency of par- ticular leaders may be empirically understood” (Gronn & Ribbins, 1996, p. 454). They are particularly important for yielding insights into leader- ship as it is understood and practised in such extraordinarily challenging contexts (Bush, 2008) as post-conflict societies. Specifically within the realm of educational leadership, some studies have examined the way context influences school leadership (Clarke & Wildy, 2004; Dempster, Carter, Freakley, & Parry, 2004). There is also growing evidence that effective school leadership and management are crucial to school effectiveness and student learning (Leithwood, Harris, & Hopkins, 2008; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). Nevertheless, regardless of the importance attributed to school leadership and the work that has investigated the manner in which situational context and factors can both constrain and influence it, the relationship that exists between context and leadership continues to be severely under-theorised (Gronn & Ribbins, 1996; Vroom & Jago, 2007). This relationship can be elucidated in relation to Rwanda, a post-conflict country where the education system was debilitated in the wake of the civil war and genocide that raged during the 1990s. Along with this, Rwanda is a small landlocked, post-colonial, and developing country facing multiple challenges. Mindful of these reali- ties, this book emerged out of a desire to generate an understanding © The Author(s) 2018 1 G. Karareba et al., Primary School Leadership in Post-Conflict Rwanda, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-60264-6_1 2 1 INTRODUCTION of the historical background to primary school leadership in Rwanda, of recent developments in primary school leadership in the country, and of the current concerns of primary school leaders. Collectively, these consider- ations have facilitated the charting of a distinctive narrative arc through the evolution of Rwandan primary school leadership. Focus oF the Book The book, which presents an understanding of leadership at the primary school level in post-conflict Rwanda, has three main foci. First, it provides an understanding of the historical background to leadership at the primary school level in Rwanda from colonial times until the genocide of 1994. This history is interesting not only in its own right, but also because con- temporary issues are more easily understood and interpreted when the past is taken into consideration (Aldrich, 1996). Analogously, one cannot understand school leadership issues and practices in Rwanda without a clear understanding of how education in the nation has evolved over the years. The second focus is on the developments that took place in relation to leadership at the primary school level in Rwanda from 1994 until 2014. The year 1994 marked the end of the four-year civil war, which culmi- nated in genocide throughout the country. It is informative to know what the Rwandan government did to resuscitate and develop education and, in particular, to shape primary school leadership from that point onwards. Accordingly, a description and analysis of policies and activities that have shaped primary school leadership in post-conflict Rwanda are presented. The third focus is on issues which are currently of concern to primary school leaders in Rwanda. These concerns play an important role in guid- ing the actions of school leaders. Accordingly, it is important to recognise them since it is likely that not to do so could well result in any attempts to improve the leadership provided by primary school leaders floundering. Why Write this Book? Focusing the book on primary school leadership in post-conflict Rwanda is important and relevant for both academic and practical reasons. First, achieving universal primary education in Rwanda requires, among other factors, that primary schools throughout the country are effectively led. In this regard, the role of ‘quality’ school leadership in promoting students’ WHY WRITE THIS BOOK? 3 learning and organisational and school success is clear in the educational leadership research (Leithwood et al., 2008; Marks & Printy, 2003; Watson, 2009). Good leadership at the primary school level can lay a solid foundation for the all-round development of children, the alleviation of poverty, and economic development (Hannum & Buchmann, 2005). Psacharopoulos (1985) referred to these benefits nearly 40 years ago when he pointed out that primary school education is one of the most profitable investment opportunities available in developing countries. Moreover, the promotion of the all-round development of children has the potential to lead to the promotion of peace and tolerance in such post-conflict societ- ies as Rwanda. On this, Paulson (2011b) has pointed out that education in post-conflict settings is crucial to reconciliation and peacebuilding. The importance of education in post-conflict societies is also high- lighted by the World Bank (2005) as follows: Educational programming in post-conflict societies cannot be business as usual. Education has a critical role to play in the wider reconstruction of the society, from building peace and social cohesion to facilitating economic recovery and getting the country onto an accelerated development track. (p. 27) This position indicates that primary school leadership should receive spe- cial consideration in such contexts. This is especially so in relation to Rwanda, where primary school education is compulsory. A justification for studying school leadership in post-conflict Rwanda also arises from Clarke and O’Donoghue’s (2013) recent call for more research to be conducted on school-level leadership in post-conflict societ- ies. They (Clarke & O’Donoghue, 2013) point out that very little empiri- cal research has been undertaken on this matter. As a result, there are not enough examples of school leadership practices in post-conflict societies available for use in developing theoretical models for informing leadership development in such complex situations. This book provides one contri- bution to filling the gap by adding to the body of knowledge on school leadership more broadly in post-conflict societies. In doing so, it is not being claimed that what is presented is generalisable as in the case of research conducted within the positivist paradigm. Rather, it can lead to “reader or user generalisability” (Burns, 1994, p. 327). That is, it is writ- ten in such a manner that readers should be able to relate to the exposition in order to understand their own and others’ situations.
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