Perceptions of women on management positions in government aided secondary schools in Uganda: An analytical study

Women’s perceptions on minimal occupation of management positions in Government Aided secondary schools in Eastern Uganda were explored. The Uganda National Gender Policy was formulated in 1997 and revised in 2007 to address the gender imbalance in the management of educational institutions and other public institutions for the purpose of enabling women to access justice in workplaces so as to enable them to be part of the mainstream in Uganda’s socio-economic development in the women’s empowerment initiative. The objective of this study was therefore to examine women participation in management positions in government aided secondary schools in Uganda. The study revealed that the commitment of women serving in management positions is sometimes betrayed by various factors ranging from internal to external. A spirit of family responsibilities and challenges, corruption by some male appointing officials, limited qualifications and exposure, limited support coupled with political, religious, cultural, and societal norms and African beliefs is a hindrance to women’s access. In addition, this type of commitment has been abused in various forms. The female teachers’ overall perception on occupation of management positions in government Aided secondary schools is that male head teachers are more preferred to female ones. Therefore, the overall conclusion on perception on women’s minimal occupation of management positions in Government Aided secondary schools in Eastern Uganda shows a pattern that women do not have equal access to management positions in the specified study area. The researcher recommends that: the Government should increase the number of female head teachers, balance interviewing panels, discipline culprits, streamline roles of politicians in schools, sensitize stake holders, and implement gender equality policies.