Contribution of the principal to the improvement of post-primary education in Africa

Management has come to be recognized as an essential factor contributingto the quality of secondary education. According to the World Bank initiativeSecondary Education in Africa (SEIA), concerted actions designed to improveleadership at educational establishments are among the the most promis-?ing means of enhancing the quality of secondary education in Africa. In its(Mémorandum sur la gestion scolaire), CONFEMEN has given top priority toimplementing two projects: vocational training and networking for educationalmanagers. The contribution made by heads of establishment to improving secondaryeducation depends on their professionalisation. However, it has beenestablished in a questionnaire-based survey carried out by the national sectionsof AFIDES that in most French-speaking African countries, there is little effectiveprofessionalisation at school management level. After analyzing the findingsand the challenges involved in school management, it was concluded in thissurvey that educational systems are in the process of setting up a joint systemof regulation, where the traditional hierarchy and system of control are graduallygiving way to managers at all levels, who are necessary for the objectivesof the system to be reached. It is suggested that this new model should also beintroduced at the following levels: at managerial policy development level, atthe levels responsible for the vocational training and networking of educationalmanagers, and at management research level