A comparative study of the effectiveness of female School Head Teachers with their Male counterparts:A case of Lusaka Province

Abstract

The study sought to find out how many female and male head teachers were in Lusaka province between 2000 and 2005; their professional qualifications; and to compare schools run by female head teachers with those run by male head teachers in terms of effectiveness. Two different levels of data collection were employed to obtain data for the study. The first source of data was from the questionnaires administered to management teams and teachers at schools. The second source was from focus group discussions with parents and pupils. The sample comprised sixtyeight pupils from ten high schools and eight basic schools, thirty-seven parents, ten deputy head teachers from ten high schools and eight deputy head teachers from basic schools. Four District Education Board Secretaries and four District Education Standards Officers, formed part of the research sample.The results of the study revealed that some disparities in the number of female and male head teachers still existed, with more male head teachers than their female counterparts. Nonetheless, there was a significant increase in the number of female head teachers. The study also revealed that during the period under study, the male head teachers were found to have possessed higher qualifications than the female head teachers. In terms of effectiveness, the study showed that more female head teachers than the male head teachers were said to be more effective in terms of school management. On the basis of the findings of the study, the following were recommended: the Ministry of Education (MoE) should train both female and male head teachers in educational management; hold in-service training for head teachers in educational management during school holidays; increase the number of female head teachers through training and affirmative action; provide a policy to guide head teachers in the daily running of their schools; and that MoE and other stakeholders should provide adequate teaching and learning materials and financial resources to enable schools operate effectively.