EXPLORE THE CHALLENGES FACING THE NOVICE LEADERS IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

The dissertation explores the challenges faced by novice leaders in rural primary schools in Saudi Arabia. The topic is relevant due to limited existing research on the topic, and it helps Saudi Arabia to improve human capital development as part of the fulfilment of educational policy objectives as part of the Vision 2030. Qualitative research was conducted through undertaking four semi-structured interviews with the novice leaders in rural primary schools in Saudi Arabia. The findings of the interviews highlighted six key challenges faced by novice headteachers: (1) low confidence and the level of responsibility, (2) isolation/ loneliness and a lack of companionship of their colleagues, (3) funding shortage/ financial resource constraints, (4) lack of guidance, training and mentoring, (5) inability to recruit qualified teachers and (6) managing the work life balance. These challenges faced by novice leaders in leadership positions in rural primary schools in Saudi Arabia were explained and supplemented by referring to the findings of the literature. Furthermore, the chapter also highlighted the five ways in which novice leaders in rural primary schools in Saudi Arabia are dealing with the challenges faced. These included: (1) inherent motivation to help the school, (2) training courses, (3) family support, (4) financial incentives and (5) informal mentorship. Several recommendations are proposed. Firstly, Ministry of Education needs to evaluate the funding allocated to schools in rural areas, with a view to increasing the funding to help improve the standard and quality of education provided in rural schools. The increase in funding for rural schools will help the schools to attract qualified teachers, thereby improving the quality of teaching within schools to enhance the performance and development of human i 1844183 capital. Increased funding will also help the schools to invest in upgrading the information technology infrastructure, including better internet connections to facilitate online learning. The online teaching and learning is critical in the current environment, as Covid-19 pandemic has led to limited face to face learning. Thus, increased investment will enable the primary schools in rural areas to compete with the schools in rest of the country, providing an opportunity to the students in rural areas to excel academically and realise their academic/ career potential. Secondly, Ministry of Education also needs to invest in a dedicated training programme for novice headteachers. The training programme should be specific to the requirements of novice headteachers in each specific rural area and be taught by those who have past experience and training of serving as a headteacher. This would be beneficial because trainers would be able to draw upon their own experiences to provide guidance, instructions and lessons for the novice headteachers to use. Additionally, the training provided by Ministry of Education should provide specific guidance to the novice headteachers in terms of what they should do to tackle the challenges faced. Thirdly, novice headteachers themselves are recommended to clearly communicate the expectations and requirements of their role with the family members. The reason being that support of family is critical, if novice headteachers are to successfully concentrate on the demands of their new role. Clearly communicating to the family should include explaining the workload and commitment level required to lead the primary school, and the demanding nature of their role.