Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
School leadership in Nepal is shaped by sociocultural, institutional, and resource-related challenges. This study fills a gap in the literature by examining leadership dynamics within this unique and diverse educational context. Guided by resilient leadership theory as a referent, this qualitative case study, grounded in a constructivist paradigm, involved semi-structured interviews with public high school principals to investigate their workplace challenges and coping strategies. The findings reveal challenges including sociocultural and gender biases, teachers’ resistance to modern pedagogical practices, and resource limitations. They navigate these challenges through strategies of humility, intrinsic motivation, and collaborative partnerships. The findings highlight the need for systemic reforms to promote gender equity, enhance professional development, and increase resource allocation. This study presents a resilient and adaptive leadership framework for policymakers, emphasising the need to implement gender-inclusive policies and leadership training programs to address the challenges faced by principals in their diverse educational contexts.
Keywords
educational leadership, gender equity, leadership challenges, Nepal, resilient leadership, school principals
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
2025
Volume
8
Issue
1
Publication Title
European Journal of Educational Management
Publisher
RHAPSODE
School
School of Education
RAS ID
88311
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
First Page
1
Last Page
12
Comments
Dhakal, S. (2025). Surviving and thriving in educational leadership: Challenges and coping strategies of high school principals in Nepal. European Journal of Educational Management, 8(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.12973/eujem.8.1.1