Strategies employed by public primary school headteachers to improve pupils' academic performance in Gatundu south district, Kiambu county, Kenya

The objectives of the study was to determine the role played by headteachers in the management of school personnel to improve pupils' academic performance; to evaluate the role of headteachers in the provision of the school instructional materials to improve pupils' academic performance; to assess headteachers' supervision of curriculum and instruction implementation as an academic improvement strategy and to assess the role of the headteachers in enhancing the school community relations for improved academic performance by pupils. The study used Robert House' Path Goal Theory to relate the independent variable (strategies) and the dependent variable (academic performance). The study used descriptive survey as its research design and was conducted in Gatundu South District. The study targeted 12 headteachers, 64 teachers and 80 pupils selected randomly using probability sampling. Questionnaires were used as the study instruments and their validity and reliability was tested by piloting in two schools which were excluded in the actual study. Data were analyzed through SPSS using descriptive statistics resulting to frequencies and percentages and presented in frequency distribution tables and graphs. Findings revealed that the headteachers did not participate in the recruitment and selection process of the teachers in the DQASO office before they were posted to their school but they facilitated educational seminars and workshops to their teachers for their professional developments. Findings further indicated that all headteachers participated in the school instructional materials committee meetings where they provided necessary guidance, updating the committee on managing issues, number of grants, allocation to various voter heads and enrolment, instruct policy guidelines, participate in budget making and provided leadership. The study findings revealed that headteachers provided teachers with seminars on the current teaching strategies to develop competence in teaching skills by organizing seminars, conferences and in-service education for them. Findings further showed that in order to upgrade the quality of instruction taking place in the classrooms; the headteacher supervised it constructively. They further indicated that supervision when a teacher is teaching creates tension to the pupils and demoralizes the teacher. Lastly, the study findings revealed that the headteacher assisted the staff in knowing the community and teaching students ways in which they can contribute to the community development. The study recommends that the head teacher should be passionate in mobilizing finances for purchasing additional school instructional material from well-wishers, donors, old boys/girls association foundation, PTA members, school instructional material committee members. The education office should constantly sensitize all teachers on the importance of instructional observation by the head teachers in the schools. The head teacher should strengthen the school community relations by involving the community in all the school activities/events and allowing it to make use of all the school resources. This research was conducted in Gatundu South District yet the strategies employed by the public primary schools headteachers to improve on the pupils' performance is national wide. The localization of the study in Gatundu South District may not give a true picture of the strategies of headteachers across the country. The researcher therefore suggests that the study be conducted in a larger area, or in the whole of Kenya. She also suggests that other strategies employed by head teachers in their schools be researched on.