The Institutionalisation of Teacher Ethics in Tanzania’s Secondary Schools: A School Heads’ Perspective

Abstract

teacher ethics in Tanzania’s secondary schools. It draws on qualitativedata, generated through in-depth face-to-face interviews and documentanalyses. Secondary school heads, teachers and students from IringaMunicipality were involved in the study. The findings demonstrate thatschool heads employed several strategies to institutionalise teacherethics, which include staff induction, allotment of weekly virtuepractices, supervising and counselling individual teachers, assemblingstaff meetings and posting ethics related placards on staff room noticeboards.The study has shown that most of the practices lacked a profoundimpact on shaping teachers’ professional conduct. The study addsknowledge to school leadership literature from Tanzania, particularly onthe aspect of teacher ethics. Accordingly, the study recommends thatschool heads should institute mentoring programmes where by earlycareerteachers are attached to veteran teachers to regularly enhance theirprofessional knowledge and behaviour. School heads should exemplifyethical conduct within and outside school premises by serving as rolemodels for the teachers to facilitate the promotion of teacher ethics.Furthermore, education officers at the regional and district level shouldprovide professional development programmes for school heads tofurther raise the awareness and confidence of school heads’ professionalobligations