This study was conducted to determine how instructional supervision was carried out in schools. The study begins with a brief outline of the decentralization of the inspection system in Botswana. It proceeds to present a brief global historical background of instructional supervision before findings on instructional supervision are discussed. Evidence from the findings, which were obtained from teachers and headteachers through a structured questionnaire and interview, suggests that the environment in which instructional supervision takes place in schools is rather hostile and intimidating to teachers to make any meaningful impression on the improvement of teaching standards. Instructional supervisors’ effectiveness is constrained by the much expanded secondary education system that has seen a massive increase in schools and teachers in a relatively short time. The study concludes with the recommendation that, for instructional supervision to fully benefit schools, it needs restructuring so that the teachers and the headteachers play a more meaningful and effective role.

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This study was conducted to investigate possible barriers to the effective implementation of clinical supervision in Botswana primary schools, junior and senior secondary schools. Since the study sought views, experiences and observations of respondents, it adopted a qualitative approach to data collection. Teacher practitioners on study leave at the University of Botswana formed the subjects of the study. Data were analysed by being categorised into themes. The findings of the study revealed three major themes deemed to be barriers to clinical supervision practices. These are; large class sizes; the implementation of the Performance Management System in schools; and senior teachers who are designated as supervisors to junior teachers simply by virtue of their official position and not because they are experts in the areas they supervise. Recommendations were made on how these barriers could be addressed in order to facilitate clinical supervision activities in schools.

This paper explored two issues as follows: the influence school leaders have on school performances and factors that hinder school leaders’ efforts to achieve school success in Botswana secondary and primary schools. The subjects of the study were 199 teachers and 21 members of the senior management team in primary and secondary schools in Botswana. The participants were to analyse, through semi-structured interviews and a closed-ended questionnaire, the leadership patterns of their leaders and the barriers to effective leadership in schools. The findings revealed that, generally, leaders in Botswana schools practise democratic leadership although not without barriers. Chief among the barriers are the imposition of policies through numerous directives from the Ministry of Education and drug abuse by students supplied by some adults in society. The study ends with a conclusion that draws from the discussion of the findings and relevant studies to the subject being discussed.

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