The head teacher’s experience in dealing with noncompliant teachers in a secondary school: a case of a school in Arua district, Uganda.

Effective school leadership is linked to proper management of discipline of teachers that improves teaching and learning of students. Management of teachers’ misconduct is believed to be possible with the head teacher applying the teachers’ discipline management procedures established by MoES. Commitment and discipline of teachers are the key factors to effective curriculum delivery to the students. The issue of noncompliant teachers does not only affect teaching and learning in schools, but also give head teacher hard time to deal with it.This study on head teacher’s experience in dealing with noncompliant teachers was conducted in one secondary school in Uganda to explore discipline management of teachers. The study adopted qualitative research design involving ten teachers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The data were analysed qualitatively according to the subsidiary questions, through developing themes, sub themes and use of codes. On the basis on the in-depth research undertaken and the extensive literature review, the researcher established a range of types of teachers’ noncompliance, causes of teachers’ non compliance and the strategies head teacher applies in managing disciplines of teachers in the school. These included: negligence of duty, desertion of duty, lateness, absenteeism, alcoholism, corporal punishment, insubordination and sexual immorality. The study established that, the preferred methods of managing teacher professional misconduct were: guidance and counselling, transfers of teachers, verbal warning, written warning, report to BOG, Report to the MoES and report to ESC. The findings also showed that some teachers had developed negative attitude towards teaching duty and management of time by the individual teachers were the main were the main cause of teachers’ noncompliance. The findings indicated that teachers’ transfers were the main strategy the head teacher applied in the management of teachers’ misconduct. The study makes recommendations for policy and practice and for further research in the area of management of disciplines of teachers in secondary schools context