Primary school supervision in Pakistan : practice, purpose and potential

The system of supervising government primary schools in Pakistan is amatter of continuing debate. The performance of supervisors is frequentlycriticised, and their ability to improve the quality of education in primaryschools is questioned. Periodically it is suggested that improvement requiresa completely new supervisory cadre.The aim of this research is to clarify the purpose of primary schoolsupervision, and to present evidence of both the practice of individualsupervisors and their potential for achieving improvement in primaryschools, in order to suggest ways in which the impact of supervision can beenhanced. Models of the supervisor as guardian, guide and innovator aredistinguished and used to explain some of the conflicting demands made ofsupervisory personnel. The potential and limitations of work within eachmodel are explored.Central to the research is a study which took place within the Sindh PrimaryEducation Development Programme 1992-96, an internationally sponsoredprogramme which included extensive training opportunities forsupervisors. Questionnaire responses were collected during this trainingprogramme from ninety-one supervisors covering one rural and one urbandistrict. Analysis focuses on the supervisors' perceptions of patterns ofinfluence and achievement within their own work, using data from thequestionnaires, interviews and seven individual life stories.The findings of this research challenge some influential assumptions aboutthe centrality of primary teaching experience and specific training to ensureeffective supervision. Instead,sincerity and respect emerge as key concepts ofparticular importance for sustaining professional endeavour. The resultssuggest that reforms of the selection and training of supervisory personnelare unlikely to influence practice permanently in Pakistan, unlessaccompanied by greater clarity about the precise role required, together witha revisioning of the relationships between the people within the educationsystem as a whole founded on mutual respect for each others' work.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Hull

Year dc:date.issued

1999

Author dc:creator

• Marland, Harriet Grieve

• Education

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

oai:hull-repository.worktribe.com:4215059

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:hull-repository.worktribe.com:4215059