The Practices and Problems of Restructuring Educational Organizations: The Case of Oromia Region

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Date

2007-03

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

Since recent years, several attempts have been made to reorganize and restructure the educational organizations of Oromia regional state along with the decentralization policy and strategies so as to fulfill the envisaged educational goals and objectives. However, the frequent organizational and structural design was one of the critical problems that impeded the realization of such goals. To that effect the frequent practices of reorganization and restructuring of educational institutions had gone up to the extent of being the fashion of the day. The major purposes of the study, therefore, were to assess the practices and problems of restructuring educational organizations of the region. It was mainly intended to examine the effectiveness of organizational structure in supporting the delivery of regional educational services and its compatibilities with the goals, mission and strategies of educational organizations. The research methodology employed in this study was descriptive survey. Accordingly, research questionnaires were prepared and pilot tested and administered to a sample of 176 subjects of which 159 of the questionnaire were properly filled in and returned. The respondents were selected using purposive as well as availability sampling methods. In addition to this, the structured interview, observation check-list and review of various organizational documents were also used. The gathered data were analyzed using some statistical tools like percentage and means, chi-square, t-test, and one-way ANOVA test. The major findings of the study showed that there were highly frequent reorganizing and restructuring of the educational organizations that were originated from lack of adequate preparation and vigorous study to restructure them. Consequently, these practices resulted in poor institutional performances both at organizational as well as individual levels. The study a lso revealed that there was incompatibility of manpower requirement with approved organizational structure. To this effect, the existing manpower was found to be inadequate both in terms of quantity and quality required. Therefore, in order to mitigate these problems, it is recommended that the Regional Education Bureau should take some intervention strategies in creating viable and effective organizational structure and system that respond to the need of the society based on professional study. It should also establish transparent and clearly defined parameter which serves to create effective orga nizational structure that can support the implementation of the on going decentralization policy and strategies of the country.

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Keywords

Restructuring Educational Organizations

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