PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION TOWARDS IMPROVING INSTRUCTION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF BALE ZONE

The objective of this study was assessing the practice and challenge of community participation in secondary schools of Bale Zone. The research was conducted using mixed method designs called sequential explanatory design; where a design starts with collection and analysis of quantitative data and followed by the subsequent collection and analysis of qualitative data. Thus, the populations of the study were524 people and the sample of the study was188 which were 30% the population. The data for the study were gathered using three instruments such as document analysis, semi-structured interview and both open and close ended questionnaires. The gathered data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The finding showed the community didn’t work in various areas of intervention such as keeping disciplinary problem, fulfilling library with sufficient books, chairs and tables and supply of chemicals and apparatus in the laboratory. This is inhibited by different factors such as the school management didn’t have produce action plan with collaboration of local community, lack of skill, lack of knowledge and poor understanding about their roles and responsibilities due to lack of training or insufficient training; lack of appreciation objectives of education; lack of time and poor economic status; reluctance, lack of commitment and willingness. This shows that there was no community’s involvement towards instructional improvement. Hence, the researcher concluded that these barriers have its own impact on the role of community in their instructional decision and improvement of the teaching learning process of secondary schools in Bale Zone. So, Secondary schools, WEO, and Zone education should create a program for sharing of experience to community members, teachers and principals to give them the chance to learn from other schools, woreda or zone who have a better performance in the participation of the community in the instructional improvement in Bale Zone secondary schools.