MACMILLAN Primary School Leadership in Post-Conflict Rwanda: A Narrative Arc

This book explores the current status of primary schools in Rwanda and the history behind their development. It argues that current primary school leaders in the area encounter a wide range of problems relating to conflict prevention, teachers' and school leaders' professionalism, financial and resourcing constraints, student attrition, and parental disengagement, many of which can be attributed to the legacies of war and the genocide in 1994. The book also presents a range of strategies that are pursued by school leaders while dealing with these concerns, as the Rwandan government invests in reconstructing education following the country's turmoil. Through examining the issues of the past and the present, the book provides valuable insights for researchers of educational leadership, school leaders, education policy makers, and those in charge of preparing, developing, and implementing professional development programmes for school leaders and teachers in Rwanda, as well as in other post-war and developing countries. Review “The distinguishing feature of this book is its focus on school-level leadership. The book describes the current context facing education practitioners, offers an account of the historical context in which these policies emerged, and draws on qualitative interviews in rural and urban settings to examine the constraints facing school-level education leaders. … It would appeal to a scholar interested in the study of education leadership in post-conflict settings.” (Timothy P. Williams, Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, November 23, 2018) About the Author Gilbert Karareba is an independent researcher, and graduated with a PhD from the Graduate School of Education at The University of Western Australia. His research interests include international and comparative education, education and conflict, and educational leadership in diverse contexts Simon Clarke is Professor of Education at The University of Western Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leadership. His research interests include school leadership and curriculum. Tom O'Donoghue is Professor of Education at The University of Western Australia, Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His research interests include the history of contemporary education and schooling in challenging circumstances.