Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to identify the mentoring practices and the problems that influence
the practices in continuous professional development (CPD) program in the Secondary schools of Chilga Woreda. To this end, three research questions were formulated to identify the practice of
mentoring, the support /assistance mentors render to mentees, and the challenges that hinder
mentoring practices. Descriptive survey method was used in the study. For data source, 3
secondary schools, 39 mentees, were selected by simple and stratified randomly sampling
respectively, 3 principals, 4 vice principal and 12 mentors were included in the study
comprehensively. Questionnaire, document analysis and interview were employed for data
collection the quantitative data were organized, tabulated and analyzed by using percentage,
mean, standard deviation and grand mean. The major findings of the study were : design
professional development plan for mentees, evaluate activities of mentees, observe class room
activities of mentees, give feedback on class room observations for mentee, keep portfolios of
mentees, promoting mentees to secure chances for development, takes responsibilities if mentees
fail, set mentees challenging but achievable targets and set encourage mentees arranged
induction courses of CPD for newly hired teachers, discussion forums with other schools,
encourages and support for mentee to exercise peer evaluation on CPD practice, usually arranges
discussion programs within the school to consult with other groups on CPD practices and
prepares training opportunity based on mentee training needs was very low and low. Some of the
challenge of mentoring CPD in relation to lack of management support, topics do not correspond
with real demands of mentee, mentees are not well oriented about the significance of CPD
activities, mentees have not understood the CPD training manuals, mentees were not willing and
resist to implement CPD practices, lack of trained CPD facilitator in the school, less committed
to implement the CPD practices and process of CPD is complex and ambiguous to apply
practically low level of practice of mentoring CPD. For solving those problems the following
recommendation were drown. Mentor should increase the awareness about how to mentoring
CPD, the schools should develop ways of encouraging mentor and mentee and enhance Capacity
building in relation with CPD.
