Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to investigate Educational Material Resource Management
Practice and Challenges in Secondary Schools of Sheka Zone. It was concerned with practices
and challenges of material resource management activities, challenges faced for its effectiveness
and implementation of policies and guidelines. To attain the stated objective of the study,
descriptive survey design was used. Both quantitative and qualitative (mixed) method
(approaches) was employed in this research. This method helps to obtain firsthand information
from multiple sources. 3 Sample schools were selected by stratified sampling method. 120
Respondents of teachers were selected by drawing simple random sampling technique from 281
and 36 respondents were selected by purposive sampling due to their direct relation with the
issue under study and hence to gain sufficient information. Six groups of respondents
participated in the study. These were school leaders, school support staff, teachers, students, and
Wereda education experts and PTSA leaders. The data was collected through questionnaire,
interviews and document analysis. Data gathered through questionnaire were quantitatively
analyzed using SPSS version 20 percentage, and mean values. Moreover, the data gathered
through interview, open ended questions, and relevant document analysis were qualitatively
analyzed. Having gone through these all the study found out that material management functions
were not effectively implemented to facilitate teaching learning process. Participation of stake
holders in material management function process was not run adequately. There was also lack of
continuous supervision in the area of material resource management. Based on these findings,
some recommendations were forwarded. Capacitating teachers, school support staff and school
principals through training may assist users in putting these materials in. To develop positive
attitude towards the management of educational materials, school managements may work
closely with teachers, school support staff, and PSTA and wereda education experts. Wereda
education office and the school set experience sharing schedule for teachers and school support
staff to learn a good lesson from best practices in material management functions in particular.
