Policy constraint and intercultural leadership in Ghana: an analysis of reported findings from two studies

This paper reports on how two recent studies of Ghanaian Headteacher Leadership contribute to intercultural education. Read together, the two studies show that Headteachers are expected to build school – community relationships, work across different stakeholders and improve learning for all, yet they are recruited unevenly, without pre-headship training and governed by a discourse that allocates responsibility more readily than authority. Through a critical lens, we argue that the problem is not only effectiveness but recognition: who is authorised to decide, whose knowledge counts, and how much professional judgement remains when leadership is scripted. We advance the argument that intercultural leadership in Ghana requires explicit preparation, stronger professional recognition and policy structures that position the community and culture as a resource for judgement rather than a compliance problem.