Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess the practices of school-based supervision in government secondary
schools of Kamashi Zone. Five basic questions were formulated, which emphasized the extent to which
teachers understand about the school-based supervision in secondary schools of Kamashi Zone, the various
supervisory options applied by supervisors in these schools, the procedures employed classroom
observation in the secondary schools, the extent to which school-based supervisors discharge their
responsibilities and the challenges existing in the implementation of school-based supervision. To conduct
this study, the descriptive survey method was employed. One Zonal and five Woreda Education Office
supervision coordinators were selected through purposive sampling technique. Among the 10 government
secondary schools found in the Zone, 5 of them were selected randomly as sample schools. From these
sample schools, 5 principals and 30 school-based supervisors (5 unit leaders and 25 heads of department)
were also included as respondents using purposive sampling technique. Furthermore, 84 teachers have
participated in the study through availability sampling technique. Questionnaire was used as main tool of
data collection. Interview and document analysis were used to substantiate the data gathered through
questionnaires. Frequency, percentage, mean and t-test were utilized to analyse quantitative data gained
through the questionnaires. The qualitative data gathered thorough interview and document analysis were
by narration. The result of the study indicated that teachers lack awareness and orientation on the activities
and significance of school-based supervision, ineffectiveness of the practices of supervisory options
matching with the individual teacher’s developmental level, and inability of supervisors to apply the
necessary procedures for classroom observation properly. On the other hand, among the factors
influencing the school-based supervision, lack of relevant training programs for supervisors, scarcity of
experienced supervisors in school-based supervision activities, lack of supervision manuals in the schools
and shortage of allocated budget for supervisory activities. Finally, to minimize the problems of schoolbased supervision in secondary schools, it is recommended to give relevant in-service trainings for
supervisors to upgrade their supervisory activities, necessary resources such as supervision manuals and
an adequate budget for the success of supervision at the school level was suggested
