An Investigation of the Causes of Conflicts between Teaching Staff and Principals in Public Secondary Schools in Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Communication is the nervous system of an organisation, and its success depends very much upon the coordinated efforts of people working at different levels to achieve a common goal. Conflict, on the other hand, is an expression of hostility, antagonism and misunderstanding between the staff members. Most of these conflicts occur in secondary schools, middle-level colleges, and tertiary institutions MOE (2002). The Ministry of Education report indicates that in spite of the government policies put in place, there has been an upsurge of unrest in schools, together with strikes by teachers and high rates of transfers of principals and teachers in the recent past. This paper investigates the causes of conflicts between teaching staff and principals in public secondary schools in Kenya. This study was carried out in Rachuonyo South Sub County in Homabay County, Kenya. The objective of the study was to investigate the causes of conflicts between teaching staff and principals in public secondary schools in Rachuonyo South Sub-County in Homabay County. A mixed methods approach consisting of a survey questionnaire and interview schedules involving 62 survey participants and 4 in-depth interviews with the principals and teachers was adopted. Quantitative data was sought using questionnaires and were analysed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences, while qualitative data from interviews with the principals were analysed by narrative analysis. The findings of the study revealed that Poor communication and competition for limited resources were the main causes of conflicts between teaching staff and principals. It was revealed further that the conflicts were purely work-related. Based on this, it is recommended that there is a need to offer training to both teachers and principals on the use of the best communication strategies for conflict management so as to help in the management of conflict in schools. In addition, there is a need to take teachers and principals for workshops and seminars on professionalism in order to minimise work-related conflicts.