Human Resource and Pedagogical Challenges in the Management of Public Primary Schools: Evidence from First-Time Head Teachers in Northwest Cameroon

Effective management of public primary schools depends substantially on the availability of adequate human resources and supportive pedagogical conditions, yet first-time head teachers in conflict-affected contexts often assume leadership responsibilities under considerable constraints. This study examined the human-resource and pedagogical challenges associated with the management difficulties experienced by first-time head teachers in public primary schools in Northwest Cameroon. An exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 108 teachers using a structured questionnaire, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 16 first-time head teachers, giving a total sample of 124 participants. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, Pearson’s chi-square test, and Cramer’s V, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically to contextualize and triangulate the quantitative findings. Human-resource findings indicated that insufficient auxiliary staff constituted the most prominent challenge (M = 2.86, SD = 1.01), whereas perceived shortages of teachers were comparatively marginal (M = 2.53, SD = 1.00). A significant association was found between human-resource conditions and perceived management difficulties, χ²(9, N = 108) = 89.562, p < .05, V = .526. Pedagogical challenges were more pronounced, particularly inadequate teacher preparation for learners with exceptionalities (M = 3.22, SD = 0.95), inadequate basic infrastructure (M = 3.20, SD = 0.91), and insufficient teaching materials (M = 3.19, SD = 0.87). Pedagogical conditions were also significantly associated with perceived management difficulties, χ²(9, N = 108) = 32.832, p < .05, V = .390. Qualitative evidence reinforced these findings, highlighting workload pressures, inadequate resources, limited professional development, and insufficient preparedness for diverse learner needs. The study recommends targeted administrative support, resource provision, leadership-oriented professional development, and strengthened human-resource planning, including timely deployment of adequate teachers and auxiliary personnel, to enhance effective primary school management. The study therefore concludes that strengthening auxiliary staffing, pedagogical resources, infrastructure, and continuous professional development is essential for supporting first-time head teachers and improving public primary school management in Northwest Cameroon.

first-time head teachers, human-resource challenges, pedagogical challenges, perceived school-management difficulties, public primary schools, Cameroon

1. Dorukbaşı, E., & Cansoy, R. (2024). Examining the mediating role of teacher professional learning between perceived instructional leadership and teacher instructional practices. European Journal of Education, 59, e12672. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12672 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Fiedler, F. E. (1964). A contingency model of leadership effectiveness. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 149–190). Academic Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60051-9 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Fiedler, F. E. (1967). A theory of leadership effectiveness. McGraw-Hill. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Global Education Monitoring Report Team. (2025). Spotlight on basic education completion and foundational learning in Africa: Lead for foundational learning—Cameroon country report. UNESCO. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. He, P., Guo, F., & Abazie, G. A. (2024). School principals’ instructional leadership as a predictor of teacher’s professional development. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 9, Article 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-024-00290-0 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Leithwood, K., & Duke, D. L. (1999). A century’s quest to understand school leadership. In J. Murphy & K. S. Louis (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational administration (2nd ed., pp. 45–72). Jossey-Bass. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Limon, M. R. (2016). The effect of the adequacy of school facilities on students’ performance and achievement in technology and livelihood education. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 5(1), 47–59. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v5-i1/2060 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Mayo, E. (1933). The human problems of an industrial civilization. Macmillan. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Nadav, N., Benoliel, P., & Schechter, C. (2024). Principals’ systems thinking and student outcomes: The intervening role of school structure. International Journal of Educational Management, 38(6), 1563–1580. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-10-2023-0530 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Nguyen, H. T., Vu, N. T. T., Ha, X. V., Dinh, H. V. T., Truong, T. D., & Reynolds, B. L. (2025). Principal instructional leadership and its influence on teachers’ professional development at Vietnamese primary schools. Education 3-13, 53(3), 408–416. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2023.2195409 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Njekwei, A., Titanji, P. F., & Ngwa, E. S. (2026). Administrative and pedagogical leadership in conflict situations: Challenges and coping strategies of public secondary school principals in Anglophone Cameroon. Journal of Leadership and Governance, 5(1), 14–34. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. https://doi.org/10.58425/jlg.v5i1.477 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2016). School leadership for learning: Insights from TALIS 2013. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264258341-en [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2023). An assessment of the professional development of teachers and school leaders, and curriculum and learning resources in Moldova. OECD Publishing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Takang, J. D. (2024). Headteachers’ leadership requirements for effective management of primary schools in Cameroon: Case study of primary schools in Garoua 1 Sub-Division, Benuoe Division, North Region of Cameroon. American Journal of Education and Evaluation Studies, 1(9). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. UNESCO. (2024). Global education monitoring report 2024/5: Leadership in education - Lead for learning. UNESCO. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. von Bertalanffy, L. (1968). General system theory: Foundations, development, applications. George Braziller. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Zewdu, N. (2018). Practices and challenges of school based supervision in government secondary schools of East Wollega Zone [Master’s thesis, Addis Ababa University]. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Impact of Ownership Structure on Dividend Payout Policy of Listed Plantation Companies in Sri Lanka
• Urban Sustainability in North-East India: A Study through the lens of NER-SDG index
• Performance Assessment of Predictive Forecasting Techniques for Enhancing Hospital Supply Chain Efficiency in Healthcare Logistics
• The Fractured Self in Julian Barnes' Postmodern Fiction: Identity Crisis and Deflation in Metroland and the Sense of an Ending
• Impact of Flood on the Employment, Labour Productivity and Migration of Agricultural Labour in North Bihar