Secondary school principals as change agents in Kuwait: Principals’ perspectives

Abstract

Kuwait is seeking to diversify its sources of income by modernizing the education system and providing its young people with the knowledge and skills needed for life in the 21st century. To this end, it is constantly trying to improve the whole educational system by introducing developmental projects and policies. Central to this process is the role played by school principals. However, contextual issues and challenges have limited the success of these initiatives. The present study investigates how secondary school principals describe their role as change agents and what supports they need as change agents. Therefore, the study has investigated in some depth the views and concerns of a group of secondary school principals about this role and the challenges associated with the implementation of change. The findings reveal four major demands from the participants, namely, (1) enhance planning practices (2) build trust with the educators, (3) autonomy/decentralization and (4) restructuring schools. The study suggests that the current change strategy adopted should be revised to include appropriate procedures and supports. The recommendations proposed here could provide support to principals, considered here as implementers, and could contribute to the guidance of neighbouring countries, which are also undergoing major educational changes. It is hoped that other developing countries may benefit from by learning about the change strategy investigated in this research.