Challenges of Principal Leadership Styles and School Management A Solution Oriented Approach

This study explored principals’ leadership styles in the management of unity schools in Nigeria. Specifically, the work focused at knowing the challenges as well as solutions to leadership styles of unity schools principals. This becomes necessary in view of the needs for improvement in unity school management which has become a top priority for government education reform in Nigeria. Meanwhile, in spite of these challenges and complains trailing the management of these schools in the last one decade, little research has been done examining both the reasons and solutions especially from the perspectives of the main administrator of these schools. To achieve this is through in-depth interviews with 10 principals of unity schools selected purposively in North Central Nigeria, this study has discovered that apart from the leadership styles of the principals, government policy which failed to involve the school principals is challenge to smooth school management. Interview data were analyzed thematically using NVivo 10 Qualitative Software. Findings suggested that principals’ leadership styles should be all- encompassing to give recognition to the roles of parents, staff and students, while the government should increase funding to schools in view of their national importance to the unity and stability of Nigeria.

Keywords: Leadership, Unity school, Education management, Principal, Challenges.