ASSESSMENT OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION: PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF WEST GUJI ZONE

<strong>ABSTRACT:</strong> The purpose of this study was to assess of school improvement program implementation: practices and challenges in secondary schools of West Guji Zone. To serve this purpose was employed. For the study 5 woreda and 5 secondary schools were included through simple random sampling. From these sample schools, 162 teachers and 15 principals and 5 supervisors were selected by using respectively while 35 school improvement committee were selected by using. Questionnaires were used as main tool of data collection. Interview and document analysis were also used to substantiate the data gathered through questionnaire. Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and independent t-test were employed to analyze quantitative data and qualitative approach was used in addition. The result of the study indicated that collecting of the necessary information in line with four school domains for the purpose of SIP implementation rated low; teaching and learning domain it was found that shortage of facilities necessary materials and lack of techniques and monitoring and evaluation strategies of SIP were practiced to support SIP implementation was low. On the other hand there were low stakeholder’s involvements in SIP implementation. The strategies of school improvement program were practiced to support school improvement program implementation was low. Lack of awareness about the school improvement program among the school community, lack of financial resource to implement SIP, absence of self-evaluation at the end of each academic year, inadequate planning of school improvement plan, insufficient school facilities and poor performance of follow-up of the supervisors on program implementation were the major challenges encountering the SIP implementation. Then, the study suggests that schools SIC, supervisors, school leaders, and woreda and zone education department provide support for stakeholders by creating adequate awareness to implement SIP effectively and it is better to recommend that woreda and zonal education experts, principals, teachers and researchers should suggest for the challenges that encounter the implementation of SIP in secondary schools.