Primary School Principal Empowerment and its influencing variables: The Case of Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfine, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

The goal of this case study is to look into how empowered primary school principals are in Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfine, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, and what causes their empowerment or lack thereof. Five primary school principals and two education officers from the teachers’ and principals’ development and deployment core processes of two education offices participated in the study. The study purposively involves individuals who are capable of providing rich information and whose job roles are relevant. The data for the study is primarily collected through semi-structured interviews, which are informed by the data gleaned from document analysis. The study discovered that the principals in the study context are not as empowered as they should be. Professional incapacity, scarcity of resources (particularly teachers), lack of professional and informational support, and a shortage of deputy principals are found to be major issues that make school principals less empowered. As a result, woreda and town administrations and education offices need to work to empower principals by offering leadership and management development, resources, and professional and technical assistance to help them provide school leadership.