Practices and challenges of conflict managment in Government secondary schools of gambella region nuer zon

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the practice of conflict management in government secondary schools in Gambella, a regional state in the Nuer Nation Zone. In order to attain the objective of the study, a descriptive survey research design was used. Both random and non-random sampling techniques were used to select sample respondents out of the target population. With these techniques, the schools’ principals and deputy directors, as well as department heads and administration personnel, were selected. The total sample size of the study was 100. Primary and secondary sources of data were used in the study. Data for the study were collected using a questionnaire, an interview, and document analysis. Based on the nature of the data collected, both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis were employed to analyze the data. IBM SPSS statistical tools were used to analyze the data, and mean and standard deviation were presented. That is, data obtained in response to closed-ended items were analyzed quantitatively, while those obtained from open-ended items, such as interviews, focus group discussions, and documents, were analyzed qualitatively. As a result, the study concludes that violations of school rules and workplace ethics, workloads, unfair period allocation and distribution, employee benefit-related matters, and unreasonable absence from the workplace were the major causes of conflicts in the schools under study. The findings of the study further showed that the majority of the respondents' perceived conflict as bad, negative, and destructive, which must be avoided rather than managed. Compromising is the most prominently used style of conflict management in the schools under study. The second most prevalent style is avoiding, followed by accommodating, collaborating, and dominating consecutively. Above all, the study portrayed that the importance of contextual and/or indigenous conflict management mechanisms such as social committees, sheemagilies, group networking, etc. in alleviating conflicts was to some extent put into practice in the schools. As a concluding remark, since school culture is dynamic and built by people who have different family backgrounds, learning experiences, and see and manage things from their point of view regardless of others, members of the school community should accept the inevitability of conflict that cannot be avoided at all. Despite these loopholes, principals encountered frequent disputes and handled them according to their personal feelings and skills. Therefore, seminars, conferences, and symposia should be organized for members of the school community on communication aspects, diversity management, and conflict resolution strategies by the concerned Education Office. Moreover, teacher training colleges and universities should focus on effective communication and conflict handling strategies. The study also