School Leadership and Management Role in Supporting ODL Student Teachers in the Secondary School-Based Post Graduate Diploma in Education Program

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) student teachers, like all student teachers of the century, during their teacher preparation course, do engage in direct practice in the schools. This exercise is done under the tutelage of the university, school leadership and qualified teachers. It is during this direct practice that student teachers need support services, not only from their university, but from the school community. The study sought to establish prevention, intervention, transition and follow up support services offered by secondary school administrators to students on a Post Graduate Diploma in Education program during teaching practice. This was necessitated by the realization that as student teachers sought to get professionalized through improved pedagogical skills and personal growth during teaching practice, they needed relevant and effectively executed support services from their school administrators. Mixed research methodology was used, and purposive sampling was employed to identify the study participants. The perceptions of both heads and student teachers were gathered through questionnaires and interviews. The findings of the study revealed that effective and relevant student support services could only be achieved through nurturing of positive relationships between the student teacher and the head; a difficult concept to achieve when the head’s concentration was more on administrative tasks than on curricular and instructional tasks.