Exploring the role of a head teacher in leading a rural government high school of District Ghotki, Sindh

The standard of government-sponsored education in Pakistan is not satisfactory. The state of affairs in education, generally in urban areas and particularly in rural areas, is of low standard. One of the obvious reasons of this state of education, given in educational research is that the government schools are ‘’under-managed and ‘’misled’’. However, very little research has been conducted to explore the role of head teachers, particularly in the rural contexts of Pakistan. This study in its nature, is the first study which is aimed at exploring the role of head teacher in leading a rural government high school of Sindh, one of the provinces of Pakistan. The study was undertaken in the qualitative research paradigm, in which grounded theory research approach was used. Data were collected through interviews, observations, informal discussions, and review of relevant documents. The main purpose of the study was to explore and understand that how a head teacher leads a government high school in a rural context. The study shows that despite having immense cultural, political, and bureaucratic challenges, the head teacher has managed to lead the school successfully. Furthermore, the study reveals that because of head teacher\u27s distributed leadership style, he managed to receive maximum co-operation from students, teachers, parents, community members and District Education Officers. The involvement and cooperation of these stakeholders was a key to school improvement process. Study draws the conclusion that head teacher has taken strong steps to transform the school into an effective school or school as a learning community