ABSTRACT
The study aimed to determine the leadership responsibility and challenges of the upland school heads as basis for police recommendation in the Schools District of Lemery during the school year 2022-2023. The study utilized qualitative research method using in depth interview. The study revealed that the leadership responsibilities of the principals include providing financial resources, conducting educational activities, and providing of technical assistance. It was also found out that the leadership performance of upland school heads included providing direction, having firm decision, building strong relationship, leading by example, providing conducive working environment and opening communication. Furthermore, upland school heads face stakeholders’ attitude, necessary resources and support, and multi-tasking as challenges. To address challenges school heads shows positive thinking, practice constant communication, adapt changes, provide proper time management and prioritize tasks.
Keywords: Leadership Responsibilities, Challenges, Upland School Heads, Policy Recommendation
INTRODUCTION
Upland school leaders assume numerous leadership responsibilities and face a lot of challenges. This aspect should be given careful attention as performance of upland school leaders may influence teachers’ performance. Which in turn can increase student to improve learning systems, because the case in the field that researchers met during interviews with 9 school leaders who experienced challenges in performing their leadership responsibility in improving the learning system, this certainly many things that are related and need to be analyzed comprehensively in order to find a solution.
School leadership includes the direction, encouragement, and actions necessary to improve a school's overall success. According to Yukl (2002), leadership is an influential process that evolves through time and results in the accomplishment of a goal. Leadership entails motivating and helping people to work toward a goal based on distinct personal and professional beliefs. Schools’ ought to provide a solid basis for academic success, social skill development, and learning for all students.
As an empowered authority in schools, school heads perform dual roles, as administrative manager, and as instructional leader. Hence, school heads enjoy decisive latitude to dispense not only quantity but also quality education whose by-products are learners imbued with competitive lifelong skills and desirable values to enable them to become active community participants in the future. Anything excesses or want in the execution of such functions ultimately creates adverse impact on formal education system in schools.
Teachers and school leaders in the upland areas persisted in wearing cheerful faces and maintaining a positive outlook for the love of their work and to inspire the lives of the children. Teachers took their strength each week from their school heads to deal with uncertainties which eventually helped to improve the living conditions of learners through education. Although personal problems and paperwork were inevitable, added to that are numerous school problems, staying optimistic was the best choice (Recamadas, 2018).
School heads in highly effective schools achieve this by promoting collaboration, providing support to teachers, engaging parents as partners for improving student learning, and building trust and respect in schools and communities (UNICEF, 2021).
When super typhoon Yolanda struck Iloilo, numerous establishments, homes, and schools, especially in the far-flung areas were destroyed. The challenge to keep every school head in route to quality formal education is dependent on several yet interdependent factors. One of these factors is how they performed their leadership responsibilities and manage the challenges in their way.
It is in this light that the researcher, being a school head at the same time, was motivated to conduct a study on the leadership responsibility and challenges of upland schools of the Schools District of Lemery under the Division of Iloilo Province. The study likewise proposed a policy recommendation that may improve or sustain the school heads’ leadership responsibility to strive and deliver quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education for all.
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