Distance Education and Teachers' Training in Africa Conference
A paradigm shift towards innovative, resilient and transformative teacher education, 24-27 July 2023 | Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
Abstract
Higher education institutions in Cameroon have undergone a major transformation since the 1993 reforms with a major objective to improve the quality of graduates. However, concerns about leaders who are the major implementers of these reforms have not been given serious attention. Based on the fact that we live in a multicultural context, especially in Cameroon, which has diversity in culture and national languages, the issue of leadership is very relevant for organizational productivity. Holding the assumption that the quality of education lies on the quality of teachers, this paper presents the heads of departments (HODs) perspective on how their leadership practices sustain teachers’ engagement in higher education institutions in Cameroon with insights from ‘Ubuntu’. The study is supported by the philosophy of Ubuntu, which is substantial for improving leadership practices in the African context. It is a qualitative study guided by two major research questions: (1) What strategies use HODs to sustain teachers’ engagement? (2) What positive organizational changes have been experienced due to teachers’ engagement? The study purposively selected heads of departments (n=63) from state and private HE institutions in Cameroon for interviews. The Thematic Content Analysis was used. Findings revealed that HODs used five major strategies, which focused on engaging teachers in the mission and vision of the institution: problem-solving, decision-making, sharing responsibilities and staff development approaches. This provided insight into the relevance of employee engagement and leadership strategies that enhance and sustain teachers’ engagement for optimal productivity.
Keywords: Higher Education, Leadership, Teachers’ Engagement, Ubuntu
