The contingency theories of leadership that gained prominence during the 1970s and 1980s are still relevant to current leadership practice (Bush, 2008; Simpson, 1999). These theories hold that leadership is context-bound and that âcontext is the vehicle through which the agency of particular leaders may be empirically understoodâ (Gronn & Ribbins, 1996, p. 454). They are particularly important for yielding insights into leadership as it is understood and practised in such extraordinarily challenging contexts (Bush, 2008) as post-conflict societies.
Specifically within the realm of educational leadership, some studies have examined the way context influences school leadership (Clarke & Wildy, 2004; Dempster, Carter, Freakley, & Parry, 2004). There is also growing evidence that effective school leadership and management are crucial to school effectiveness and student learning (Leithwood, Harris, & Hopkins, 2008; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). Nevertheless, regardless of the importance attributed to school leadership and the work that has investigated the manner in which situational context and factors can both constrain and influence it, the relationship that exists between context and leadership continues to be severely under-theorised (Gronn & Ribbins, 1996; Vroom & Jago, 2007). This relationship can be elucidated in relation to Rwanda, a post-conflict country where the education system was debilitated in the wake of the civil war and genocide that raged during the 1990s. Along with this, Rwanda is a small landlocked, post-colonial, and developing country facing multiple challenges. Mindful of these realities, this book emerged out of a desire to generate an understanding of the historical background to primary school leadership in Rwanda, of recent developments in primary school leadership in the country, and of the current concerns of primary school leaders. Collectively, these considerations have facilitated the charting of a distinctive narrative arc through the evolution of Rwandan primary school leadership.
Focus of the Book
The book, which presents an understanding of leadership at the primary school level in post-conflict Rwanda, has three main foci. First, it provides an understanding of the historical background to leadership at the primary school level in Rwanda from colonial times until the genocide of 1994. This history is interesting not only in its own right, but also because contemporary issues are more easily understood and interpreted when the past is taken into consideration (Aldrich, 1996). Analogously, one cannot understand school leadership issues and practices in Rwanda without a clear understanding of how education in the nation has evolved over the years.
The second focus is on the developments that took place in relation to leadership at the primary school level in Rwanda from 1994 until 2014. The year 1994 marked the end of the four-year civil war, which culminated in genocide throughout the country. It is informative to know what the Rwandan government did to resuscitate and develop education and, in particular, to shape primary school leadership from that point onwards. Accordingly, a description and analysis of policies and activities that have shaped primary school leadership in post-conflict Rwanda are presented.
The third focus is on issues which are currently of concern to primary school leaders in Rwanda. These concerns play an important role in guiding the actions of school leaders. Accordingly, it is important to recognise them since it is likely that not to do so could well result in any attempts to improve the leadership provided by primary school leaders floundering.
Why Write This Book?
Focusing the book on primary school leadership in post-conflict Rwanda is important and relevant for both academic and practical reasons. First, achieving universal primary education in Rwanda requires, among other factors, that primary schools throughout the country are effectively led. In this regard, the role of âqualityâ school leadership in promoting studentsâ learning and organisational and school success is clear in the educational leadership research (Leithwood et al., 2008; Marks & Printy, 2003; Watson, 2009). Good leadership at the primary school level can lay a solid foundation for the all-round development of children, the alleviation of poverty , and economic development (Hannum & Buchmann, 2005). Psacharopoulos (1985) referred to these benefits nearly 40 years ago when he pointed out that primary school education is one of the most profitable investment opportunities available in developing countries. Moreover, the promotion of the all-round development of children has the potential to lead to the promotion of peace and tolerance in such post-conflict societies as Rwanda. On this, Paulson (2011b) has pointed out that education in post-conflict settings is crucial to reconciliation and peacebuilding .
The importance of education in post-conflict societies is also highlighted by the World Bank (2005) as follows:
This position indicates that primary school leadership should receive special consideration in such contexts. This is especially so in relation to Rwanda, where primary school education is compulsory.Educational programming in post-conflict societies cannot be business as usual. Education has a critical role to play in the wider reconstruction of the society, from building peace and social cohesion to facilitating economic recovery and getting the country onto an accelerated development track. (p. 27)
A justification for studying school leadership in post-conflict Rwanda also arises from Clarke and OâDonoghueâs (2013) recent call for more research to be conducted on school-level leadership in post-conflict societies. They (Clarke & OâDonoghue, 2013) point out that very little empirical research has been undertaken on this matter. As a result, there are not enough examples of school leadership practices in post-conflict societies available for use in developing theoretical models for informing leadership development in such complex situations. This book provides one contribution to filling the gap by adding to the body of knowledge on school leadership more broadly in post-conflict societies. In doing so, it is not being claimed that what is presented is generalisable as in the case of research conducted within the positivist paradigm. Rather, it can lead to âreader or user generalisabilityâ (Burns, 1994, p. 327). That is, it is written in such a manner that readers should be able to relate to the exposition in order to understand their own and othersâ situations.
A third justification for writing this book relates to the relationship that exists between context and leadership. On this, the lack of attention devoted to school leadership in post-conflict situations is partly attributable to the neglect by scholars of the importance of considering context and its influence on leadership practices. Indeed, the importance of the role of contextual influences in informing leadership practice is often totally overlooked. As Vroom and Jago (2007, p. 22) have argued, âthe field of leadership has identified more closely with the field of individual differences and has largely ignored the way the behaviour of leaders is influenced by the situations they encounterâ. Over 20 years ago, Gronn and Ribbins (1996) made a similar point by calling for research aimed at elucidating the relationship between school leadership and cultural, situational, and historical contexts. In drawing attention to this, the overall point being emphasised here is that consideration of context in leadership research can lead to the generation of local knowledge. Specifically in relation to developing countries, this in turn, could help one to move one away from relying on Western knowledge and principles of leadership, which in many instances are not applicable to other contexts (Miller, 1985).
The book also contributes to an understanding of school leadership in developing countries more generally. In this regard, it can be seen as a response to Oplatkaâs (2004, p. 428) call for empirical exploration of school leadership in developing countries when he noted that âeducational reforms and policies draw almost exclusively on perspectives of educational leadership taken from Western literature and practice, thereby giving an impression that Western models of principalship are universalâ. He (Oplatka, 2004) went on to comment that cultural context and politics may affect school leadership and management in developing countries. Hence, any research aimed at deepening our understanding of how cultural context and politics inform leadership theory and practice in developing countries is of paramount importance.
In addition to the above-stated justifications, the book is also of practical value. In particular, it can help to provide insights to guide and refine educational leadership practice...