The management practice among heads of senior secondary schools in the Ashanti region of Ghana

Abstract

Effective management of official time has been identified as an important resource to increase productivity in schools. One of the problems facing heads in administering schools is how to manage time to improve quality teaching and learning. The purpose of the study was to examine whether work behaviours, years of experience and amount of training in time Senior Secondary Schools in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Stratified random sampling was used in selecting the districts so that the study could cover rural and urban schools in the region. Fifty schools and 150 heads and assistants were purposively selected. Data were gathered through the use of questionnaire and observation checklist. Data were analysed using SPSS software and summarized into percentages and frequency tables. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were also conducted and the results summarized into tables. The major findings of the study were that interruptions were common occurrence and that they compelled heads to work overtime to complete schedules. Time management practices were generally less effectively managed. Work behaviours, number of years of experience and amount of training in time management were found to have a positive relationship with time management practices. It was recommended that Ghana Education Service should organised regular short courses in time management practices for heads to enable them acquire the needed skills in order to use time more effectively. Specific time that would be convenient to heads should be set aside to receive visitors.