Headteacher Transfers and the Management of Secondary Schools

A study was designed to evaluate the perceived impact of headteacher transfers on the management of Government Grant Aided Secondary Schools in Kampala district, Uganda, East Africa. Fifty percent of Headteachers, 90% of the deputies, 50% of Board of Governors, 23% of teachers participated in the study. The findings showed that not in all transfer cases are the Board of Governors consulted. Thus, they are forced either to accept or reject the new headteacher. It was also established that transfer of a headteacher has an effect on staff management because the new head may differs from the old, in terms of personality and interpersonal skills and attitudes, experience and the style of leadership. To a lesser extent, the Management of students’discipline was interfered with especially after the transfer of a disciplinarian headteacher. The Ministry of Education and Sports is advised to work hand in hand with all the stakeholders to be involved in the process of headteacher transfers. Further studies are needed to understand transfers of headteachers of other types of schools in the Education sector in Uganda and neighboring states of the East African region.