AN ANALYSIS OF INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES FACED BY CHURCH-RUN INSTITUTIONS AS A RESULT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

 

Rosemary Nyarugwe ¹, Norman Rudhumbu ², Henry Chinhara ², Jeffrey Kurebwa ²

 

^1,2 Nyadire, Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe

 

1. INTRODUCTION

Church run institution managers of teacher’s colleges in Zimbabwe have a number of challenges as they execute their daily managerial mandate. This study explored the challenges faced by three church run teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe.

 

1.1. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT OF THE STUDY

Conflict is inherent in the institutional arrangement governing the running of church-run teachers’ colleges. In Zimbabwe specifically, these private teachers’ colleges fall under the purview of the churches, but the college principals being government employees are faced with a host of challenges in their quest to navigate the management route. The college principal is answerable to church and government policies in this regard, adhering to government policies that are contradicting church policies will end up creating conflict between church and college principals in the management of the church-run teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe. Such a scenario heightens chances of conflicts if the church feels they are not recognised by the principal.  Conflicts arise when teachers’ colleges owners (church) perceive the teacher education college managers (principals) not to be managing the teacher education colleges as expected Wilner et al. (2017)  In most cases, experience has shown that the church and management in question clash in the areas of student enrolment, staff recruitment, staff salaries, and institutional funds, disciplinary and social issues. More specifically, responsible authorities, for example, the church (UMC) demands that 75% of student teachers should be UMC members who qualify (United Methodist Church Education Policy, 2016) whilst the government advocates for non-discrimination on religious grounds and equality of opportunities for all prospective students with relevant qualifications (Constitution of Zimbabwe, 2013) religious differences.

Effective management of teachers’ colleges depends greatly on good cooperate governance practices. LeBlanc (2015) explains corporate governance as the control of management in the best interest of the company, while Turnbull (2015) sees corporate governance as both the structure and the relationships which determine corporate direction and performance. On the other hand, Sabandar, Tawe and Musa (2018) see corporate governance as a whole process of decision making or policy and a whole series of processes in which the decision is to be implemented or not implemented. In this study corporate governance implies processes that influence achievement of institutional goals. Zimbabwean principals of CRTCs are government employees, yet they also have to uphold the standards of responsible authorities (church). Governance principles of the government and those of the churches have points of departure which principals have to handle. It needs no emphasis that principals encounter management challenges particularly when the governance issue at hand is not synchronized. In Zimbabwe, there is too much conflict between and among the church and institutional management hence this study sought to develop a governance framework for effective management of church-run teachers’ colleges.

 

1.2. PROBLEM STATEMENT

Globally, private-run educational institutions are increasingly experiencing management challenges which are disturbing the smooth flow of running these institutions. In Zimbabwe, studies revealed that church-run teachers colleges experience management challenges which result in high staff turnover, mistrust between governors and management including low students’ enrolment. This study therefore investigated the nature as well as the extent to which corporate governance practices affect effective management of church-run teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study focused on corporate governance issues of accountability, transparency, efficiency, probity, fairness and crossing boundaries in respect of roles and responsibilities and how they affect effective institutional management.

 

1.3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study was guided by the following research questions:

1)     What institutional management challenges do church-run institutions face as a result of corporate governance practices at the institutions in Zimbabwe?

2)     Which strategies can be employed to improve corporate governance in church-run teachers colleges in Zimbabwe?

3)     Which are the different corporate governance practices that affect effective institutional management in church-run teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe?

 

1.4. OBJECTIVES

1)     To identify corporate governance practices that have an effect on institutional management of church-run teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe?

2)     To investigate institutional management challenges that church-run institutions encounter as a result of corporate governance challenges in Zimbabwe?

 

1.5. SCOPE OF THE STUDY 

The study was done in three teachers colleges run by different churches that is one in Mashonaland East and the other two in Masvingo Province. Principals of these teachers’ colleges, members of the students’ representative councils (SRC), human resources officers (HRO) and church education secretaries were respondents in this study. A multi-case study design was used for this study where data from three teachers’ colleges were qualitatively collected and analysed. Data were collected through use of semi-structured interviews (SSI) and focus group discussions (FGD).

 

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The study was guided by two theoretical frameworks which are the agency and the stakeholder theories. The agency theory states that an organisation has principals (owners) who employ agents (managers) to run the business. Therefore, there is separation of ownership and control. On the other hand, the stakeholder theory gives credence to accountability of the organization.  The theory commits stakeholders towards fulfilment of organisational goals. 

 

2.2. AGENCY THEORY 

The agency theory states that an organisation has principals (church owners) who employ agents (institutional managers) to run the business. The theory emphasises separation of ownership and control Eisenhardt (1989). Shareholders (owners of the organization) employ the services of an agent and entrust him/her with the day-to-day running of the business thus, the segregation of ownership from control creates the agency problem Copeland and Weston (1992) Warsono (2009). Separation of control from ownership implies that agents manage businesses on behalf of the principals Kiel and Nicholson (2003) In this context, institutional owners (churches) appoint institutional managers (principals) to manage colleges on their behalf. From the agency theory this arrangement is likely to cause conflict. In the context of the carried study, conflict arise when principals (church owners) perceive the agents (institutional managers) as not managing their business (colleges) as they expect. Principals (church) focus on their values and profits while the agents (college principals) on the other hand pursue national interests for example the church would want their members staffed in their institutions while the college principals will be implementing government policies that discourages segregation.  This theoretical framework will be used as a lens to explore the types, nature and practices of corporate governance conflicts that arise between institutional management and church owners in the three church run teachers colleges (CRTCs).

 

2.3. STAKEHOLDER THEORY

This is a theory of organizational management and business ethics that addresses morals and values in managing an organization. Historically, the theory was mooted by (Ian Mitroff 1983) in his book “Stakeholders of the organizational mind”. The basis of choosing this theory is amplified by the fact that the research primarily revolves around key stakeholders namely, the churches (United Methodist Church, Roman Catholic, and Reformed Church in Zimbabwe) which are the owners and the college government employed principals who manage the colleges. Both parties should observe pillars of corporate governance or professional ethics namely transparency, honesty, and accountability.

The Stakeholder theory promotes a practical, efficient, effective, and ethical way to manage organizations in a highly complex and turbulent environment Freeman et al. (2007) It is efficient because stakeholders that are treated well tend to reciprocate with positive attitudes and behaviours towards the organization. It is effective because it harnesses the energy of stakeholders towards the fulfilment of the organization’s goals. In this context, both the church owners and principals should work towards fulfilment of colleges’ goals. In this case college goals are to fulfil national values, church values, promote hunhuism, inclusivity and moral values. However, these goals may not be achieved due to conflict between church owners and college principals.

This theoretical framework was also used as a lens to see the types of barriers that stakeholders encounter in their efforts to achieve corporate governance goals in the three CRTCs. Using the stakeholder theory, the researcher gathered information from churches, principals and SRC students who are key stakeholders and believed to be knowledgeable of corporate governance issues in their institutions.

 

2.4. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Cooperate governance comprises a complex web including the legislative framework, the characteristics of the institutions and how they relate to the whole system, how money is allocated to institutions and how they are accountable for the way it is spent, as well as less formal structures and relationships which steer and influence behaviour. Some researchers distinguish governance from the procedural aspects of management Robinson et al. (2003) Yet, a strong distinction could pose analytical difficulties as the management process itself can influence the mechanisms of governance. In this sense, Reed, Meek, and Jones (2012) see institutional leadership, management, and administration as components within governance. For Showunmi (2013) institutional leadership refers to the strategic direction as management refers to the monitoring of institutional accountability and effectiveness while administration refers to the implementation of procedures.

 

3. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ELEMENTS/PILLARS

3.1. LEGITIMACY

Legitimacy refers to the way in which governmental and managerial authority is exercised in relation to those with a legitimate interest in the program, including shareholders, other stakeholders, implementers, beneficiaries, and the community at large Merkling (1976). For instance, the extent to which churches and top management are upholding governance principles in the management of CRTCs in Zimbabwe.

Generally, institutions are recognized as autonomous actors with varying degrees of interdependence with, and legislated commitments to the external stakeholders, local and national government. As an example of unethical practices, Kumba (2010) reported a leadership controversy at one of the religious private universities in Kenya where a Presiding Bishop of the responsible authority (church) dismissed a Vice Chancellor disregarding procedures or written regulations. At times, this causes conflicts which may have detrimental effects on the overall performance of an institution. The study aimed at finding out legitimacy effects on the management of church-run teachers colleges in Zimbabwe.

 

3.2. ACCOUNTABILITY 

This concerns the extent to which accountability is defined, accepted, and exercised along the chain of command and control, starting with the annual general meeting of the members or parties at the top and going down to the beneficiaries of the program Nurunnabi (2016). Accountability is enhanced when roles and responsibilities are clearly articulated in a program charter, memorandum of understanding, or partnership agreement Shin (2010) It, therefore, relates to the extent to which assignment and exercise of responsibilities between governance and management is appropriate to corporate governance. Accountability in church-run teachers colleges can be ensured through quality assurance frameworks, performance-related funding, and participation of external stakeholders in governing bodies.

So, this research uses the notion of cooperate governance in its broader sense that cooperate governance encompasses the structures, relationships, and processes through which, at both, church and institutional levels, policies for church run teachers colleges are developed, implemented, and reviewed.

 

3.3. RESPONSIBILITY 

Responsibility is concerned with the extent to which the program accepts and exercises responsibility to stakeholders who are not directly involved in the governance of the program and who are not part of the direct chain of accountability in the implementation of the program Islam (2016) Failure to observe governance standards leads to a fractionalized/confused board, infighting, unending debates and differences in mission, goals, and strategy Murray (1997) Lang (2016)  This may be a result of role confusion or lack of responsibility.

Lack of responsibility in the organisation result in conflicts. Hence, the researcher will investigate whether managers and other stakeholders are acting responsibly to avoid organisational cracks/conflicts. The natural expectation is that managers of CRTCs in Zimbabwe should know and observe their responsibilities.

 

3.4. FAIRNESS

Fairness is concerned with the extent to which stakeholders have equal opportunity to influence the system and to receive benefits from the organization. Fairness in a church run institution may also be seen in the staff and recruitment procedures. Remuneration of staff can also reflect fairness of the governing board. Do people of the same grade get the same treatment and incentives? Do all employees go through the same disciplinary procedures for the same allegations? Fairness also refers to the dissemination of information. Thus, is the information disseminating the same for all intended stakeholders at the appropriate time?

The question that follows is, to what extent does access to information, consultation, or decisions of the governing body and management, favour the interests of some partners and participants over others? 

 

3.5. TRANSPARENCY

According to Sabandar et al. (2018) transparency means that decision-making and implementation are performed in a manner which is followed by the laws and regulations. It also means that information is freely available and can be accessed directly by those who will be affected by the decision.  

Transparency also relates to the extent to which the organization’s decision-making, reporting, and evaluation processes are open and freely available to the requisite authorities such as the college management board, students, staff, and all other stakeholders. The existence of a society depends on the process to ensure that all its members feel that they have an interest in it. In addition, they do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. It is required that all groups, especially the most vulnerable groups have opportunities to improve or maintain their existence. In the context of this study, the researcher would wish to find out whether church authorities have a policy on transparency that covers governance and management of CRTCs in Zimbabwe.

 

3.6. EFFICIENCY

Sabandar et al. (2018) asserts that good governance means that the output of the entire process and the targeted institutions or in accordance with the needs of society efficiently utilize the resources. The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the use of natural resources by taking into account sustainability and environmental protection. The concern here is the extent to which the governance and management structures enhance effectiveness in the allocation and use of the institutional resources

 

3.7. PROBITY/INTEGRITY

This refers to the adherence to high standards of ethics and professional conduct by all persons in leadership positions. All stakeholders in CRTCs must exercise personal and professional integrity, including the avoidance of conflict of interest for effective corporate governance.  Probity refer to the moral principles governing or influencing conduct. In Higher education governance, principles as stated below reflect the branch of knowledge concerned with moral principles which supposed to be followed. Most professional associations have developed standards that guides professions to carry out their day-to-day roles, this leads the researcher to become eager to find out the role of principles in the governance of church related higher learning institutions.

 

4. METHODOLOGY

This study adopted a multiple case study research design which allows the researcher to examine governance issues in-depth and in their real-life contexts. A multiple case study research design was chosen as it will allow an in-depth study of phenomenon and gives a platform to study subjects in their natural setting. One of the most common uses of the case study is the evaluation of a particular situation. For example, management challenges in church- run teachers colleges in Zimbabwe.  Creswell (2016) posit that case studies are a design of inquiry found in many fields, especially evaluation, in which the researcher develops an in-depth analysis of a case, often a program, event, activity, process, or one or more individuals.  In the current study, three Church RTCs were studied. For Carey et al. (2017), case study design gives a way of defining cases rather than a way of analysing cases or modelling causal relationships.

The study was guided by the interpretivist paradigm which is basically located in the qualitative approach Creswell (2014). The interpretivist paradigm is concerned with understanding the world as it is from experiences of participants. The interpretivist paradigm aims at finding reasons for participants actions; thus, the researcher has to interpret meaning from actions. The paradigm is the most suitable for this current research where meaning oriented methodologies such as interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis are used to extract meaning from management and governors of CRTCs.

 

5. RESULTS

Different corporate governance practices that affect effective institutional management in church-run teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe.

The researcher wanted to establish respondents’ knowledge of corporate governance practices used at the different church-run teachers’ colleges. Based on their responses, the following five themes emerged (i) accountability and compliance management, (ii) transparency and openness to scrutiny, (iii) Church, College, and Ministry relations, (iv) fairness and effective management and (v) financial management.

 

5.1. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

In response to research question one, where the researcher was investigating on financial management issues CP1, CP2 and CSRC1 concurred that the churches support that there be activities in institutions but fail to support the institutions financially. Financial management and procurement issues are sensitive. This is what they said on:

Yes, many times they do act in a responsible manner for example, when they allow developments like you want to build this and the church says its ok, we will support you as much as possible. The church says yes, you can do the projects. However, they do not fund the projects. (CP1)

The above responses give testimony to what is happening in the church-run teachers’ colleges. Colleges exemplifies poor financial management practices. The findings also show that there was some form of conflict in terms of procurement issues where the church is directing management to purchase without following proper financial management procedures. This may be a hint that church officials may be promoting corruption by finding suppliers that they share profits with.

 

5.2. BUDGET SUPPORT

Participants CP3, CS2, CHR 3, CSRC1, 2 and 3 also noted that the responsible authorities support their institutional budgets although without any or with very minimum financial support for institutional activities.

The above observations show that although churches want their institutions to have budgets, they are not supporting the institutions financially. Thus, institutions are left to meet budget obligations using fees alone. The budget then becomes heavy on the students’ shoulders.

 

5.3. FINANCIAL PROCEDURES

Participants CP1 and CP2 indicated that financial control by the church sometimes crippled development at their teachers colleges. In her own words CP1 said:

              They tell you; you can’t go there, there is no money for that.

              So, some college activities are stopped. When they want

              funds for church development, they get it from the college

              without considering the activities of the college that money

               is earmarked for.

 

5.4. INSTITUTION FUNDING CHURCH

Participants’ responses shows that instead of the responsible authority funding the church-run teachers’ colleges, the institutions are funding the church. This is what they said:

 

I don’t think it’s going to be possible. Instead, we the institution

we are the funders of the church not the other way round. (CSRC1)

 

The responses show that the churches are no longer meeting their obligations as far as supporting the church-run teachers colleges financially is concerned. The churches are expected to fund institutional activities but responses are to the contrary. This means management are using fees to meet all obligations which makes the management of the institutions very difficult considering that the fees are imposed by the government.

 

5.5. CHURCH, COLLEGE, AND MINISTRY RELATIONS

Responses showed that the relationships between the church, church-run teachers colleges as well as the ministry responsible was disturbing the smooth management of the teachers’ colleges. The following were some of the responses to that effect:

 

The church, in this case the responsible authority, sometimes has meetings outside college, then come in with decisions, not transparent. This practice is not transparent, and it impacts on the relationship of stakeholders (CP1)

 

This becomes a source of conflict between the governors and management in terms of corporate governance in church-run teachers colleges. This seriously affect the smooth running of the institutions. In this way achievement of institutional goals can be very difficult to achieve. However, these boards have no powers to make final decisions, but their interference affect implementation of corporate governance in church-run teachers colleges to a great extent. The boards have to report to the church for approval of decisions made during board meetings. Such tapeworm derail progress especially where there are purchases to be done. For instance, the institutions may end-up incur high costs on goods due to long bureaucratic processes. This was the case in the institutions, as can be noted from some of the responses above. The other theme that came out prominently from the interviews and focus group discussion was church-ownership and control. If not well handled, issues of institutional ownership and control may affect good corporate governance practices.

 

5.6. CHURCH OWNERSHIP AND CONTROL

Church ownership and control with regards to this study entails the rights of the RAs (churches) towards the management of their teachers colleges.  The researcher was interested in understanding how church ownership was impacting on the sound practices of corporate governance in church-run teachers colleges. To that effect participant CP3, CHR1, CSRC1, CSRC2 and CS1 revealed that decisions made by responsible authorities in most cases are aimed at protecting the interests of the church at the expense of the purpose which the institution was specifically established for, that of human capital development. For these teachers colleges there is too much control by the church because they own the institutions. These are the responses:

 

The church feels these teachers’ colleges are their property hence they do not want the government to interfere in any issues thereof. This affects the implementation of policies, which in most cases have their roots in international and national treaties. It is against this background that the church authorities are adamant to good corporate governance practices. Maybe it is based on the notion that if someone has his own property he can do or say anything (CP3).

 

However, the positive argument noted was that regardless of bureaucratic issues that caused unnecessary conflict mainly because of power-sharing, structures were in place to support corporate governance practices. The participant noted the following:

 

The principal is also accountable to the board, she is also in the council of the college and the council is also there to supervise the college day to day running. Above that we have the executive of the church which the church-run teachers college is accountable to as well. So, the college council prepares a report which is also forwarded to the executive of the organisation. So, coming from that perspective we have got the college and it also has its structures responsible of the smooth operations as deemed fit by the dictates of corporate governance. In terms of policy issues, it’s the council that looks at that. The Council is supervised by the executive of the church. (CS1)

 

An analysis of the above reflects a long process to achievement of institutional goals as there are so many boards and committees to report to at church-run teachers colleges. However, the board, council or committee members may in some cases, not be important in the processing of some requests from the principals. Such challenges disturb the implementation of corporate governance policies. Responses also showed that the church is biased towards religious affiliations, and this paused challenges to effective management of the teachers’ colleges.

 

5.7. STAFF RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND REMUNERATION ISSUES

Interesting submissions on staff recruitment and remuneration emerged from different participants who were interviewed. The responses show that the responsible authorities of church-run teachers colleges to a greater extent do not practice sound corporate governance practices in staff and student recruitment, as more often than not they prefer a member from their denomination to fill in a particular post. This is contrary to the Ministry regulations on recruitment whose guidelines are jealously guarded and officiated by PSC officials who attend to shortlisting and interview procedures. The later would prefer someone with high requisite skills, experience, and qualifications for the post hence church membership will be conflict of interest. Consequently, during the selection process of students or employment opportunities one notice that there is conflict of interest. If not professionally handled, such selection does not result in getting the best candidate. Notwithstanding the policies on selection and recruitment affect proper corporate governance of church-run teachers’ colleges.

 

6. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

6.1. LEADERSHIP AND SUBORDINATE RELATIONSHIP

On leadership and subordinate relationship, it emerged that church-run institution principals or administrators face some resistance as they execute their mandate. This is when most staff members are not of the institution’s denomination, while top leadership are church members then obviously, management will face so many challenges with people against their leadership.                                                                                                                                

The above findings indicated that there is a general feeling that church related colleges prefer to have members from their church to be in leadership position and as far as they are concerned, they would prefer to have 75% to 100% staff compliment coming from their church so that issues to do with subordination is dealt with well. If members from the church are given posts of responsibilities it follows that they will pay allegiance to the church activities and are bound to be subordinate. However, it might not necessarily follow that if church members are given posts of responsibility all will be well. There are true bonafide members of the church who for one reason or the other fail to be subordinate. Insubordination in church-run teachers colleges results in mismanagement of church-run teachers colleges especially when insubordination is from church supported staff members.

 

6.2. NEPOTISM

Another challenge raised was to do with nepotism. This was a cause of concern. Mostly when employing staff either non-teaching or teaching staff the church prefers own members from their church. Against this background it stands to suggest that if a non-church member and a church member vie for a post in the interview, there is a likelihood that the post will be taken by a church member. If this happens by definition this is nepotism.

From the findings, there is a worrying factor with regards to recruitment of staff, as the church, whenever there is a vacancy especially for lecturers, they would naturally want to have somebody from within their system. The church would want their members to be given an opportunity above other competitors and that disturbs the way the institution is run because management will want the best qualified person. So, it becomes a big challenge for the institution.

 

7. LIMITED RESOURCES

The findings of the study show that there was shortage of teaching and learning materials and equipment in church-run teachers colleges. Since church run institutions pay for the non-teaching staff salaries and payments of running costs such as Wi-Fi, the colleges will be left with very limited resources for infrastructural expansion or other developments. Institutions may fail to acquire resources wanted for use in the lecture rooms due to unavailability of resources and grants from the government who are leaving institutions to fend for themselves things like Wi-Fi, vehicles, computers, stationary.  Unlike their counterparts in government institutions, where vehicles are purchased by the government, all employees are paid by the government; fuel is procured from government sources, church-run teachers colleges use students’ fees for everything in the institution. A lack of resources cripple colleges’ capacity to full fill their plans like teaching practice supervision on time and to purchase other teaching and learning resources

 

7.1. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) REVIEW

The findings show that there was conflict between the churches, ministry, and institution principals due to unavailability of MOU that is supposed to guide the three on their mandates in the institutions. Provisions of the MOU are only referred to while the document is nowhere to be seen. However, reference is made to the education act which is also not specific on mandates of the church and that of the ministry in the institutions.

The findings further suggested that if there is an MOU in existence, it could have been signed a long period ago and some of the provisions in the MOU have been overtaken by events. Therefore, there is need to revise the MOU and constantly amend the it so that it is in keeping with what is obtaining on the ground. The conflict may only arise if the demands are not in keeping with the dictates of the MOU. If both parties observe and follow the provisions of the MOU conflicts are minimized or reduced thereby enabling effective management of church-run teachers colleges

 

7.2. GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES

The results revealed a problem with multiplicity of reporting structures for the principals. Principals report and implement policies of the ministry responsible for tertiary education and of the RA. The RAs have two boards in each college running parallel in the governance of church-run teachers colleges in Zimbabwe. These are the Board of Education and the Advisory Council meant to ensure these colleges are smoothly run. The church Education Secretary is a member of both the board and council, meaning that he attends these meetings. It would be the right thing for the principals to report to the council where the church education secretary would collect information for the education board. The principals attend and give reports to the advisory council as well.  So, sometimes the principal is caught in between. This is a cause of concern, as the college principal is at times faced with two superiors who expects allegiance and compliancy too. In light of this, there should be a linear reporting structure for the principal where she reports once to the responsible authority. For example, church-run institutions should have only board of education that are composed of members of the church who are from diverse backgrounds. Having both the board of education and the advisory council brings challenges where different decisions are sometimes arrived at, giving the principal a hard time to decide on who to follow.

 

7.3. POLICY FORMULATION

The results of the study show lack of clear church policies on who should be doing what, when and where, yet they need to control everything. Cohen and Ferrel (2014) blamed lack of clear policies for overlapping of roles and responsibilities among governors and management. This may mean confusion in institutions where duplication of responsibilities by management and RA representative may end up resulting in conflict. This may negatively affect effective management of institutions. The issue of ownership where the emphasis by the churches is on “it’s ours, we own it”, without considering goals of the institution with regards to other stakeholders’ expectations like the Ministry and the University on academic matters may affect the effective management of church run institutions. When the ministry and church policies are not aligned the implementor may end up doing what one is comfortable with. It follows that there is need for the ministry and RAs coming together to formulate policies that take into consideration the churches and ministries values, rules, and regulations. The other stakeholders like the college management, students and board members should be involved in policy formulation so that when management implement them students will be in the picture such that there will be no squabbles. This will positively affect effective management of church-run teachers colleges. 

 

8. RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are made based on the above research findings and conclusions.

1)     Responsible authorities should consider the need to recommend qualified individuals   with the relevant knowledge and skills needed by the government for leadership positions in their institutions. The principal and vice of an institution ought to be from the church side and members who constitute the staff compliment can then be outsourced from other denominations or elsewhere. This will guide the ministry and public service commission as they appoint personnel in church-run teachers colleges and helps to alleviate conflict between governors and management.

2)     RAs need to work together with the institutional management when appointing members to the education board so as to come up with people who have the expected qualifications, skills, and experience. Appointing external members to committees provide a way of extending available expertise. Appointing personnel without considering qualifications, skills and experience can compromise the corporate governance practices in the college as such people might not perform to the expectations of the institution, making it difficult to effectively manage church-run teachers colleges.

3)     The government ought to support church-run institutions for smooth running of college activities. Teaching and learning equipment and materials as well as teaching practice vehicles should be supplied by the government as they are closely linked to the goals of the ministry. The fees alone cannot sustain the college operations and ultimately this will negatively affect quality provision of services to students and non-teaching staff.

4)     The education board should be made up of members who are qualified, ethical, knowledgeable, competent with expertise relevant to educational activities. The board members should be from various backgrounds with time to spare for board responsibilities. Board duties are not paid for hence the positions need people who are committed and passionate about institutional activities.

5)     There should be a linear reporting structure to the responsible authority, the ministry, and the other stakeholders. Multiple reporting structures negatively affect effective management of church-run teachers colleges as the principal will get different responses from different structures about the same issue. This will confuse the principal and at the same time derailing progress, therefore negatively affecting effective.

 

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

None. 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

None.

 

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