LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES FACED BY NOVICE TEACHERS WORKING IN NIGER’S PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Özet

This article examines the adaptation challenges of novice teachers as educational leaders in the context of Niger. In Niger, the newly recruited teachers are supported officially by the school principals who control and evaluate their lesson booklet every day and visit them at least once a month for evaluating and supporting them on duty. On the other hand, the supervisors, advisers and inspectors visit the teachers at schools according to the Ministry’s supervision program. The current low quality of primary education may be affected by this supervision process which is seem to be inefficient for improving leadership skills of teachers who are expected to make changes in school and education system . Nevertheless, for handling this problem and increasing the quality of primary school education, the government should implement a new policy for educating “teacher leader” during the pre-service and in-service education.

Abstract

This article examines the adaptation challenges of novice teachers as educational leaders in the context of Niger. In Niger, the newly recruited teachers are supported officially by the school principals who control and evaluate their lesson booklet every day and visit them at least once a month for evaluating and supporting them on duty. On the other hand, the supervisors, advisers and inspectors visit the teachers at schools according to the Ministry’s supervision program. This traditional process of supervision seems not to be enough so that develop teacher skills for their routing duties even to develop them as teacher leaders who are expected to make changes in the student achievement, schools and education system. Regarding that, it is mentioned that the government should implement a new policy for educating teachers as leaders by reorganizing the pre-and in-service education.