Leadership Strategies for Conflict Management in Ghana’s Public Basic Education Sector

Effective conflict management is essential for fostering a positive school climate and enhancing teaching and learning. However, public basic schools in Ghana face various conflicts that disrupt this environment. This study explores the conflict management strategies employed by school heads, focusing on the sources of conflict, the strategies used, their effectiveness and the challenges encountered. Guided by conflict management theory, the study adopted a qualitative multiple-case design involving purposive interviews with 10 school heads. Thematic analysis revealed key conflict sources: student–student, teacher–student, teacher–administrator, parental and community involvement issues. Strategies such as mediation, negotiation, counselling, adherence to rules and parental involvement were commonly used. The study demonstrates that the successful application of mediation, collaboration and strategic compromise is key to effectively resolving conflicts. However, challenges such as uncooperative stakeholders and inadequate training limit success. The study highlights the need for policy-level interventions by the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education to integrate conflict resolution into leadership training and promote stakeholder engagement.