Globally, school leadership has become a priority in the continuous school improvement agenda. It is accepted that effective school leadership is a key factor to contribute to improved student learning outcomes. Given the complexity and dynamism of schools in Ethiopia, the roles of leadership are paramount.
Pre-service education and in-service programs have been run in universities and teacher training institutes to provide teachers and schools that meet the demand of such a complex educational system of Ethiopia. The pre-service education program has made it possible for the education system to have qualified subject area teachers. The in-service programs that have taken such different forms as Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching (PGDT), Post Graduate Diploma in Traineeship (PGDSL) and Post Graduate Program in School Supervision (PGPSS) have all served to produce teachers, school principals and school supervisors that have been serving at different levels of the general education system in general and for the service in the primary and secondary in particular.
Not with standing, the roles of pre-service and in-service education and training in delivering qualified and training teachers that have been serving in the education system, several challenges persist, particularly concerning teachers and school leaders’ competence, students’ learning outcomes and quality of education at all levels.
Currently, there is a focus on implementing a new curriculum developed for the whole general education system that extends from pre-primary to secondary about which teachers and school leaders on job lack awareness and knowledge. Still the new curriculum incorporates cross- cutting issues like diversity, inclusion, gender, and technology in addition to the new subjects to be delivered in the school systems. Thus, realizing the new curriculum calls for rebuilding the capacity of teachers, school leaders and supervisors. To this effect, teachers need to update their subject matter knowledge and subject specific methodology while educational leaders need to build their capacity with special focus on instructional leadership for effective teaching learning to happen in schools and facilitate the professional development of teachers in view
of realizing the new curricula that consequently, improve schools’, teachers’ and, students’ performances at all levels.
In addition to the demand posed by the new curriculum, there have been persistent challenges in the Ethiopian education system. For example, students’ performance on National exam was not only discouraging but also shocking as it was learned from the last two years students’ results. Similarly, teachers and school leaders licensing exam results and different assessments highlighted weak teaching skills and instructional leadership capacity as a crucial area for improvement. Consequently, ensuring all students achieve desired learning outcomes remains a significant challenge and addressing various challenges t