Influence of strategic planning process on academic performance of pupils in private primary schools in Mogadishu, Somalia

Abstract

The Somalia’s city, Mogadishu had had a huge upsurge in the number of accredited private schools and severe rivalry for learners. The learners’ recruitment by the private schools providing education had led to intense competition among private schools in Mogadishu, Somalia. The private schools therefore had developed innovative methods of attracting and retaining pupils and ensure good performance of pupils in a school. One such method includes strategic planning. This study intended to establish the influence of strategic planning process on private primary school pupils’ performance with reference to schools in Mogadishu, Somalia. The study was guided by the following objectives: to determine the influence of school strategic direction on private primary school pupils’ performance, to find out the extent to which school environmental analysis influences private primary school pupils’ performance, to establish the influence of stakeholders’ involvement on private primary school pupils’ performance, and to find out the extent to which school goals influence private primary school pupils’ performance in Mogadishu. Capital Theory of School Effectiveness and Improvement advocated by Hargreaves (2001) was used as theoretical models for the study. A mixed methods approach and survey research design was used in the study. A total of 624 head teachers and 3570 teachers in private primary schools were targeted for the study. 10 local education administrators that include the District Education Officers, Regional Education Officers and the Quality Assurance and Standards officers in Mogadishu were also targeted for the study. Data from head teachers and teachers were collected with the aid of questionnaires while an interview guide was employed to gather data from the local education administrators. The research instruments were piloted in some of the private primary schools in Mogadishu, which were excluded from the main study. Relevant experts were engaged to help establish instrument validity. Split-half method will be used to determine the instrument reliability. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis, content analysis and triangulation techniques. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics with the aid of Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS Version 23.0). Frequency distribution tables was also used to display the resulting data. This study found out that strategic planning processes influence performance of pupils in that teachers support pupils in achieving academic success in their schools and head teachers have prepared teachers well for assessments and future academic challenges. Also, the community helps the school achieve high standards in academic performance and head teachers support their teaching staff in overcoming challenges related to the external environment that may affect their teaching. Furthermore, the study found out that, community support positively influences school’s academic success and that the school effectively engages with stakeholders to support the academic needs of the learners. Moreover, the study realized that the goals and objectives of their schools are clearly communicated and understood to both learners and teachers and that regular progress tracking against set goals helps improve academic performance. The study may be significant in contribution to the existing little literature regarding marketing of educational institutions in Mogadishu, Somalia. The study recommended that private primary schools develop and implement comprehensive strategic plans, with training for leadership to enhance their impact on pupil performance.