Abstract:
Many school heads who work for meaningful student involvement in
the running of their schools find that there are significant barriers to validating
the opinions, ideas, knowledge, and experiences of students in order to
improve their schools. These barriers can be seen as challenges that encourage
students, teachers and administrators as well as schools to grow and flourish in
new and exciting ways. This research seeks to identify some of the challenges
that the students, school authority and staff of a large school such as Achimota
face as the authorities adopt meaningful student involvement to overcome the
hurdles of effective school administration.
The study examined the particular arrangements put in place for
students to actively participate in the day-to-day running of the school and
ascertained the nature of the perceived challenges that confront both students
and administration. The descriptive survey method was used for the study.
Questionnaires were used to gather information from 290 student and 71
teachers and members of administration. Data collected from the responses
from the questionnaire administered were analyzed using the Statistical
Package for Social Science.
Among others the study discovered that the SRC and the Prefectorial
Board were operational but ineffective and though students serve on some of
the school committees they are not adequately involved in the decision making
processes. On the basis of the findings it was recommended that the school
authorities should put in place adequate mechanisms and organize regular fora
for students to enable them relate issues that affect them directly to the
authorities
