SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT: PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF KHARTOUM STATE, SUDAN

Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 347 2025, vol. 12, issue 2, 347-356 RESEARCH ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17870739 SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT: PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF KHARTOUM STATE, SUDAN Saifaldin Idris ONIA1 Elzain Elkhalefa ELKHDER2 Bannaga Taha AL-ZUBAIR3 Adil Mohammed DAFALLAH4 1,2,3,4 University of Khartoum, Sudan 1 ORCID: 0000-0002-7451-7761 2 ORCID: 0009-0000-3102-5444 3 ORCID: 0000-0003-3844-9025 4 ORCID: 0009-0009-5728-7835 Abstract School based management (SBM) is a reform adopted in many countries to empower schools, and to transfer of decision-making power on management issues to the school level. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the practices of school based management in secondary schools, and to identify the challenges that facing the implementation of school based management in secondary schools. To meet the study’ purpose, the descriptive research design was followed. A developed questionnaire was used to collect data from teachers in secondary schools. Descriptive statistics and one sample t-test were used for data analyses. The findings showed that the school based management was practiced in secondary schools of Khartoum state with its different items. There are challenges hindering the practices of school based management in secondary schools of Khartoum state. Based on the study's findings, the study recommended enhancing the ways to practice the areas of school based management in secondary schools. The necessity to exert efforts to overcome the challenges that hindering the practices of school based management in secondary schools. Keywords: School based management, School reform, Practices, Challenges, Secondary schools Introduction Education is inherently vulnerable to the demands of many constituents. Many countries have moved towards a re-balancing of the power structure, a small bureaucracy, and a widespread growth of interest in transferring decision-making and resources away from centralized control towards the institutions where education is taking place. In particular, some of these countries have blurred the once-firm line dividing public and private schools through the creation of ‘self-managed schools’- often described as School-Based Management (Abu-Duhou, Hallak and Ross, 1999). Various views have been espoused to explain this trend towards School-Based Management. David (1990) has articulated these as school-based management is a governance reform designed to shift the balance of authority among schools, districts, and the state. This tends to be the rationale behind state efforts rather than district reforms. The practice of School-Based Management (SBM) dates back to 1909 in the United States of America and regarded as the Teacher Council Movement (TCM), which featured teacher-dominated councils that made policy recommendations for the administration of individual schools. The SBM policy became a more popular education reform initiative in 1980s. In the United States, A Nation at Risk during which American children seriously lag behind international students of equal age and grade in academics led to the adoption of SBM as part of the intervention strategies to improve the quality of education in many schools and states, most especially in Illinois (Boonmee, 2002; Eurydice, 2007). In Great Britain, the 1988 Education Reform Act under the Thatcher government devolved power and authority to school communities to constitute management boards as mandatory corporate bodies consisting of the head teacher and governors elected by the parents, teachers, and representatives of the local authority (Clark, 2009). Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 348 In Sudan, the 1990 National Policy on Education launched a large-scale education reform for all levels of the education system (UNESCO, 2018). Following the introduction of the federal system of government in 1994, educational responsibilities have been progressively decentralized. The Education Act, 2001 specifies the functions and responsibilities of the federal and the state ministries of education while also providing a regulatory framework for management of various national councils. At the State level, educational boards organize and coordinate educational activities, paralleling the national councils (Federal Ministry of Education, 2019). Following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 between Sudan and South Sudan, the decentralized system was strengthened and a number of primary responsibilities devolved to the sub-national governments (FMoE, 2019). The responsibility of education management in Sudan is shared between the federal, state and locality levels of government. The federal government through its Federal Ministry of Education is responsible for oversight in the sector and for the development and maintenance of standards including curriculum development and mobilization of resources from internal and external sources (FMoE, 2019). On the other hand, the drastic impacts of information technology, economic globalization, and international market competition, worldwide concerns for pollution and peace, as well as increasing local social-political demands have induced rapid changes and developments in nearly every society in the different parts of the world (Townsend & Cheng, 2000), set as challenges to School-Based Management. Despite these challenges, Schoolbased management has been implemented in many developed and developing countries and takes many forms. It has been institutionalized in places like England, New Zealand or Victoria, Australia or in several large school systems in Canada and the United States to Spain, Mexico, Cambodia, and Mozambique (Caldwell, 2005, World Bank, 2007). Therefore, this study intends to investigate the practices of school based management in Sudan context, and identify the challenges that hindering the implementation the policies of school based management. Statement of the Problem School based management (SBM) is a reform adopted in many countries to empower schools. DeGrauwe (2005) argued that schools with greater autonomy can contribute to improved quality through school-based adaptations of national policies to suit local circumstances. Uemura (1990) reported that advocates for the reforms emphasize that by giving local decision making authority over school management, they become aware of educational problems such as low enrolment, attendance and academic performance, and begin to realize key disincentives to schooling. Despite the efforts by various stakeholders in the education sector to reform schools, researchers report the obstacles facing the schools include poor resources in schools, lack of professional development on leadership for school leaders and confusion on the part of school councils in relation to new roles and responsibilities (Bandur, 2012). To overcome these problems, the education sector needs to make the SBM work as pedagogy of empowerment and democracy. To date, no empirical research has been done on school based management in Sudanese secondary schools, which make it significant to conduct this study. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the practices of SBM in secondary schools, and to identify the challenges that face implementation of SBM in secondary schools. To guide this study, we paused two questions to be answered: 1. How do practices of school based management in secondary schools of Khartoum state look like? 2. What are the challenges that face implementation of school based management in secondary schools of Khartoum state? Literature Review The concept of School-based Management School-based management has many shades of meaning. It has been implemented in different ways and for different reasons and at different rates in different settings. However, the common ground in all places where school-based management has been implemented is that there has been an increase in authority and responsibility at the school level, but within a centrally-determined framework that ensures that a sense of system is sustained (Caldwell, 2005). School-based management has various names, such as “local management of schools, site-based management, self-managing school, school-site autonomy, school-based budgeting, school-based curriculum development, shared decision-making, restructuring and decentralized management” (Herman & Herman, 1992). School-based management has many different of meaning; SBM can be defined as “a program or philosophy adopted by schools or districts to increase school staff autonomy to make school decisions in order to improve education” (White, 1989). Similarly, Anderson (2006) defines SBM as “the shifting of decision-making authority from the district office to individual schools”. Thus, in SBM, responsibility for any decision-making authority over school operations is Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 349 transferred to principals, teachers, parents, and sometimes to students and other school community members (Al Kaabi, 2015). Practices of School-based Management Review of the literature reveals that school-based management has practiced and implemented in schools. Kakomole, Deity, and Mangangantung (2025) analyze the effectiveness of implementing School-Based Management (SBM) in improving educational quality at Negeri 3 Manado. The findings indicate that SBM is effective in enhancing educational quality through active participation from all school community members in program planning, implementation, and evaluation. This positively impacts learning quality (more innovative teachers, active students) and improves teacher professionalism. Data-driven accountability is also key to its effectiveness. Supporting factors include teacher commitment, team cohesion, and the principal's open leadership. Silabay and Alegre (2023) examined the levels of practice, experiences, and challenges in achieving SchoolBased Management Level III among key players in the Division of Agusan del Sur. The study revealed that the SBM practice showed a clear school leadership, governance structure, and work arrangement. The schools also practiced being protective of all learners through inclusive, safe, equitable, involvement of parents, and professionally developed teachers. There was a needed focus on some SBM essential practices, namely leadership networking, critical and creative teaching methods, accountability assessment criteria, and monitoring and evaluation. Bandur, Hamsal, and Furinto (2022) aim to explore the conditions of school improvements resulted from SBM policy and programs. Results affirm that devolving authority to school level decision-makers has resulted in increased participation and commitment, which led to improved teaching–learning environment. This study suggests the significance of sustainable empowerment on the part of school councils as well as leadership inservice training to school principals for an effective implementation of SBM policy and practices in developing countries. Amon and Anggal (2021) discuss the implementation of school-based management (SBM) in curriculum management and school-based learning adopted by primary and secondary education institutions in Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of SBM so far has met with limited success. To improve the implementation and outcomes of SBM requires increasing the capacity of principals, teachers, and school committees in implementing SBM; improve staff's ability to make operational and instructional changes; and developing the capacity of central and local governments to support schools in implementing SBM. Al Kaabi (2015) investigated the degree to which School-Based Management (SBM) has been practiced in the New School Model (NSM) schools in Al Ain. The results indicate that participation of school staff in SBM practices in areas where staff has more authority was greater than their participation in areas with no or little authority. In addition, the staff desire to participate in decision-making was strong and compatible with their actual participation in both areas. Yau and Cheng (2014) carried out study to examine the perceptions of a sample of Hong Kong principals and teachers of the extent to which school-based management (SBM) has been effectively implemented in primary schools. The finding shows that all four features of school-based management are perceived as being implemented in Hong Kong primary schools, but the degree of their implementation is not the same. The most adopted elements of school-based management are ‘financial planning and control’ and ‘leadership competence and work relationships’. A study conducted by Wehella (2014) explored how two different types of School-Based Management (SBM) initiatives are practiced in Sri Lankan. One of these initiatives is the Program for School Improvement (PSI). Wehella reveals that PSI is expected to empower schools with autonomy for making collaborative decisions, create a sense of ownership among the school community and permit improvement of schools. Pañares and Palmes (2014) conducted study to determine the perceptions of the school council members in relation to the power and authority vested in school councils, and improvement in the student achievements as a result of the implementation of SBM. Schools are not yet ready to implement SBM. The key officials of the Department of Education have to provide intensive orientation and training before the implementation of this innovative program to help improve students’ academic performance. Vally G and Daud (2014) set out study to determine the role of principal and principals’ leadership strategies namely school vision and mission and human resource management as SBM indicators in the implementation of SBM in secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur. The study indicated a significant relationship between the role of principals and the school's vision and mission; the role of principals and the management of human resources. Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 350 Lindberg and Vanyushyn (2013) conducted study to examine schools principals’ perception of the importance of school-based management (SBM) and instructional leadership tasks and their assessment of the performance of those tasks in Swedish upper secondary schools. Analysis of the survey responses from 234 principals shows that 80% of administrative and 75% of firefighting tasks were seen as highly important and performed well, while 68% of instructional leadership tasks were perceived as of having lower importance and performance. Moradi, Hussin, and Barzegar (2012) focused on important characteristics of school-based management, Conformity of characteristics of Education System of Iran with SBM structure, as well as Infrastructure of conditions for implementation of SBM in Iran. The findings of the research indicated that, for implementation of school-based management, indicators such as management of education system, curriculum, budget, educational content, the role of principals, teachers, educators, students and the other factors in Iran should be reconsidered. Bandur (2012) carried out a study to examine the implementation of the school-based management (SBM) policy and programs in Indonesia. Bandur found that SBM is an effective way of enhancing participatory decisionmaking, budgetary transparency, and community participation. However, he was also found that the effective implementation of SBM requires time management expertise and assistance from the government, educational experts, and foreign aid agencies. The implementation of SBM in Indonesia is significantly effective in improving student achievement. Challenges of School-based Management Concerning challenges of practices school-based management, Nomin, Resky, and Lusiana (2025) stated that School Based Management (SBM) has been implemented in Indonesia as an effort to improve the quality of education through the granting of autonomy to schools. However, its implementation still faces significant obstacles, such as the gap between expectations and reality on the ground, as well as the low involvement of the school component in decision-making. Ilma, Hidayati, and Martaningsih (2024) examine the planning for implementing School-Based Management (SBM) at SMP IT Muhammadiyah An Najah Jatinom. The research findings show that although SBM planning is well-structured, focusing on improving teacher competency through training and workshops and developing infrastructure that supports technology-based educational facilities, there are still deficiencies in coordination and supervision that need improvement for more optimal implementation. Berhanu (2023) investigate the level of practice, challenges, and prospects of SBM in Ethiopian schools. Results showed that the significant challenges identified were: the low administrative capacity of crucial members of the SBMs, uncertainty, overload, lack of cooperation from the school leaders, and teachers' misunderstanding of the importance of the SBM. Osea (2022) focused on the issues and challenges met by the School-Based Management (SBM) Team of the six schools within Albay and Camarines Sur. It was found out that the issues encountered by the SBM Team include the availability, authenticity, and veracity of documents. On the other hand, the most significant challenge lies in the appreciation of documents by the validating team. The continuous and improved cooperation of all stakeholders is deemed essential to establish an Advanced SBM Level of Practice. Sintayehu and Alamu (2022) conduct study to assess practice and challenges of decentralized school based management and monetary decision-making in Girawa Woreda Public Secondary Schools. The findings indicated that school management’s effectiveness in implementing decentralized school based management structure was mainly affected by lack of school facilities, lack of clarity of the roles between school managements. Also, lack of knowledge on SBM, lack of appropriate professional development for school leaders and inadequate finances. Villanueva and Cruz (2021) explore the challenges of SBM in the area of curriculum and learning in a public secondary school. Results revealed that poor foundation of basic knowledge, inadequate school facilities and instructional materials, non-observance of time on task policy, students' misbehavior and poor academic interest, low parental support, as well as errors in learners' materials were among the challenges that affect the successful implementation of the curriculum and learning. Kiragu, King’oina and Migosi (2013) conducted study to find out the accrued benefits of SBM and challenges schools would experience if SBM was introduced in Muranga South district. The article indicated that the introduction of SBM would be a way of addressing the current crisis in management of secondary schools, bringing about accountability, commitment by teachers in discharging their duties, efficient use of resources, timely syllabus coverage, delivery of quality education, improve efficiency and reduce need for supervision among other prospects if it was introduced in secondary schools in the district. Malaklolunthu and Shamsudin (2011) investigated the challenges in school-based management: Case of a ‘cluster school’ in Malaysia. Findings indicate that successful implementation of the cluster school initiative needs a three-pronged approach: learning and mental reorientation on the part of the school community to Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 351 accommodate the new concept of school-based management; autonomous decision making powers bestowed on the school administration to make decisions in areas such as teacher recruitment and student selection for effective results; and transformational leadership development of school heads to lead the changes. Yu (2005) studied the recent development and future challenges in the implementation of school-based management in Hong Kong. He asserted that the future challenges to schools include carrying out a smooth transformation of the present school management structure to the required incorporated management committees, effective implementation of school-based management under the new bill and quality training for other stakeholders. Cheng and Chan (2000) confirmed that the lack of multi-perspectives in the analysis of school reforms sets a tight limitation on the understanding and implementation of school-based management. They reached to the implementation of school-based management reform is a complicated process involving changes not only in structures and political relations but also in social interactions and cultural elements at both school and system levels. Method This research is purely quantitative research with descriptive research design. Descriptive research was undertaken because the topic or problem under study is not yet much known about it. Hence, the researchers want to identify characteristics, frequencies, and categories of the variables of interest. The target population for this study is defined as all teachers in government secondary schools in Omdurman locality, Khartoum state. A sample size of 41 was selected through simple random sampling techniques; because in this technique every teacher has the same probability of being selected for the sample. Information about the demographic characteristics of the respondents for the questionnaire as shown in the given Table 1 below. Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of Respondents No Variable Category Frequency Percentage 1 Sex Male 17 41.5 Female 24 58.5 Total 41 100.0 2 Qualification Bachelor 30 73.2 High diploma 5 12.2 Master 4 9.8 PhD 2 4.9 Total 41 100.0 3 Years of service Less than 5 years 8 19.5 From 5-10 years 12 29.3 More than 10 years 21 51.2 Total 41 100.0 As depicted in Table 1, the respondents' proportion in sex was (41.5%) for males and (58.5%) for females. In terms of qualification, the majority of the teachers was holding bachelor degree (73.2%). The fewer respondents were holding PhD (4.9%), Master (9.8%), and then high diploma (12.2%). The data in Table 1 also shows that the proportion of respondents increase with an increase in the interval years of service ranging from (51.2%) with respondents over 10 years to (29.3%) for 5-10 years, to (19.5%) of those serving less than 5 years. To answer the research questions raised in the study, the researchers developed a closed-ended questionnaire to measure the practices and challenges of school based management in secondary schools in Khartoum state. Respondents were asked to rate on three-point Likert scale (3= agree, 2= partially agree, and 1= disagree) used for all items under practices of school based management 20 items and challenges of school based management 10 items. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The reliability for the overall questionnaire and its sub-scales satisfied the acceptable criteria (r= 0.70). According to Katou (2008), the questionnaire will consider reliable if the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient is more significant than 0.70. The Cronbach's alpha of subscales was found to be 0.920 for practices of school based management, and 0.879 for challenges of school based management. The composite Crobancha's alpha of the questionnaire was 0.876. This means that the result of the reliability was acceptable; therefore, the questionnaire was valid to be applied. To analyze research questions, data were coded and entered into the Statistical Package for Social Scientists SPSS software program. The analysis was begun with descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) to describe respondents’ demographic characteristics. One sample t-test was used to determining the practices and challenges of school based management in secondary schools. Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 352 Findings The practices of school based management in secondary schools The practices of school based management in secondary schools in Khartoum state was the first research objective. To this end, a one-sample t-test was employed, and the result is shown in Table 2. Table 2 One Sample T-test for the practices of school based management No Items Mean Test Value SD Mean Difference T Sig. (2tailed) 1 Lead to active school vision 2.63 2 .581 .634 6.986 .000 2 Distribution of power in school 2.58 2 .546 .585 6.857 .000 3 Determination of policies 2.34 2 .728 .341 3.002 .005 4 Develop the desire of staff to participate in decisionmaking 2.43 2 .708 .439 3.966 .000 5 Build mutual agreement about school goals and values 2.43 2 .672 .439 4.179 .000 6 Timely syllabus coverage 2.51 2 .596 .512 5.496 .000 7 Delivery of quality education 2.46 2 .636 .463 4.663 .000 8 Improve instructional programs 2.43 2 .593 .439 4.735 .000 9 Change in school culture 2.46 2 .636 .463 4.663 .000 10 Use of knowledge and skills 2.46 2 .636 .463 4.663 .000 11 Creativity in programs 2.60 2 .586 .609 6.658 .000 12 Increase teachers motivation 2.63 2 .581 .634 6.986 .000 13 Reduce supervision 2.51 2 .637 .512 5.147 .000 14 Teachers’ professional development 2.63 2 .581 .634 6.986 .000 15 Reward for progress 2.53 2 .595 .536 5.768 .000 16 Efficient use of resources 2.53 2 .674 .536 5.094 .000 17 Realistic budgeting 2.39 2 .702 .390 3.556 .001 18 Increase accountability 2.48 2 .637 .487 4.901 .000 19 Greater mobilization of resources 2.36 2 .733 .365 3.194 .003 20 Involvement of stakeholders in school-level management 2.53 2 .552 .536 6.223 .000 Overall Practices of School-Based Management 50.02 40 7.985 10.024 8.038 .000 N= 41, df= 40 The result in Table 2 shows that the mean values of each item of the practices of school based management was significantly higher than their respective test values which were (2). For instance; the high items with mean score refer to the practices of school based management lead to active school vision m=2.63, increase teachers motivation m=2.63, teachers’ professional development m=2.63, creativity in programs m=2.60, distribution of power in school m=2.58, reward for progress m=2.53, efficient use of resources m=2.53, involvement of stakeholders in school-level management m=2.53, timely syllabus coverage m=2.51, and reduce supervision m=2.51. All these items their mean scores higher than their respective test values (2) at their respective t (40) = 6.986, 6.986, 6.986, 6.658, 6.857, 5.768, 5.094, 6.223, 5.496, 5.147, and p < 05. This means that all items of school based management were practiced with high score. Besides, the mean of the aggregate score of practices of school based management (50.02) was also significantly greater than the expected test value (40) at t (40) = 8.038, p < .05. Since the aggregate mean value was significantly higher than its test value, the result shows that the school based management was practiced in secondary schools of Khartoum state with its different items. Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 353 The challenges of School-Based Management in secondary schools The challenges of implementation school based management in secondary schools in Khartoum state was the second research objective. To this end, a one-sample t-test was employed, and the result is shown in Table 3. Table 3 One Sample T-test for the challenges of school based management No Items Mean Test Value SD Mean Difference T Sig. (2tailed) 1 Lack of school facilities 2.51 2 .637 .512 5.147 .000 2 Lack of clarity of the roles between school principal 2.39 2 .702 .390 3.556 .001 3 Lack of knowledge on SBM 2.43 2 .634 .439 4.431 .000 4 Lack of appropriate professional development for school leaders 2.39 2 .666 .390 3.750 .001 5 Inadequate finances 2.36 2 .622 .365 3.762 .001 6 Inadequately trained teachers 2.26 2 .707 .268 2.427 .020 7 Inadequate parental participation 2.48 2 .637 .487 4.901 .000 8 Lack of adequate authority for decision-making 2.41 2 .706 .414 3.759 .001 9 Lack of cooperation from stakeholders 2.48 2 .637 .487 4.901 .000 10 Difficulties of coordination 2.43 2 .634 .439 4.431 .000 Overall Challenges of SchoolBased Management 24.19 20 4.561 4.195 5.888 .000 N= 41, df= 40 The result in Table 3 shows that the mean values of each item of the challenges of school based management was significantly higher than their respective test values which were (2). The high items with mean score refer to the challenges of school based management represents in lack of school facilities m=2.51, inadequate parental participation m=2.48, lack of cooperation from stakeholders m=2.48, lack of knowledge on SBM m=2.43, difficulties of coordination m=2.43, lack of adequate authority for decision-making m=2.41, lack of clarity of the roles between school principal m=2.39, lack of appropriate professional development for school leaders m=2.39, inadequate finances m=2.36, and inadequately trained teachers m=2.26. All these items their mean scores higher than their respective test values (2) at their respective t (40) = 5.147, 4.901, 4.901, 4.431, 4.431, 3.759, 3.556, 3.750, 3.762, 2.427, and p < 05. This means that all items indicate to the challenges of school based management. In addition, the mean of the overall score of challenges of school based management (24.19) was also significantly greater than the expected test value (20) at t (40) = 5.888, p < .05. Since the overall mean value was significantly higher than its test value, the result shows that there are challenges hindering the practices of school based management in secondary schools of Khartoum state. Discussion According to the results obtained the all items of school based management were practiced with high score. Supporting the result of the current study concerning the items distribution of power in school, develop the desire of staff to participate in decision-making. Bandur, Hamsal, and Furinto (2022) affirmed that devolving authority to school level decision-makers has resulted in increased participation and commitment, which led to improved teaching–learning environment. Al Kaabi (2015) indicated that participation of school staff in SBM practices in areas where staff has more authority was greater than their participation in areas with no or little authority. In addition, the staff desire to participate in decision-making was strong and compatible with their actual participation in both areas. Furthermore, the indictors of involvement of stakeholders in school-level management, realistic budgeting are supported by the study of Bandur (2012) who found that SBM is an effective way of enhancing participatory decision-making, budgetary transparency, and community participation. However, he was also found that the effective implementation of SBM requires time management expertise and assistance from the government, educational experts, and foreign aid agencies. The implementation of SBM in Indonesia is significantly effective in improving student achievement. Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 354 In addition, the areas of the practices of school based management which are lead to quality education, active school vision, and build mutual agreement about school goals and values supported by the study of Kakomole, Deity, and Mangangantung (2025) indicate that SBM is effective in enhancing educational quality through active participation from all school community members in program planning, implementation, and evaluation. This positively impacts learning quality and improves teacher professionalism. Also, Vally and Daud (2014) indicated a significant relationship between the role of principals and the school's vision and mission; the role of principals and the management of human resources. The overall result shows that the school based management was practiced in secondary schools of Khartoum state. This result agree with Silabay and Alegre (2023), they confirmed that SBM practiced in schools. Their study revealed that the SBM practice showed a clear school leadership, governance structure, and work arrangement. The schools also practiced being protective of all learners through inclusive, safe, equitable, involvement of parents, and professionally developed teachers. Yau and Cheng (2014) showed that all four features of schoolbased management are perceived as being implemented in schools, but the degree of their implementation is not the same. However, Moradi, Hussin, and Barzegar (2012) indicated that, for implementation of school-based management, indicators such as management of education system, curriculum, budget, educational content, the role of principals, teachers, educators, students and the other factors in Iran should be reconsidered. In contrary to the result of the study, Pañares and Palmes (2014) reached to schools are not yet ready to implement SBM. The key officials of the Department of Education have to provide intensive orientation and training before the implementation of this innovative program to help improve students’ academic performance. Amon and Anggal (2021) also, indicate that the implementation of SBM so far has met with limited success. Hence, to improve the implementation and outcomes of SBM requires increasing the capacity of principals, teachers, and school committees in implementing SBM; improve staff's ability to make operational and instructional changes; and developing the capacity of central and local governments to support schools in implementing SBM. On the other hand, the result shows that there are challenges hindering the practices of school based management in secondary schools of Khartoum state. Supporting the result of the current study, Ilma, Hidayati, and Martaningsih (2024) demonstrate that although SBM planning is well-structured, focusing on improving teacher competency through training and workshops, there are still deficiencies in coordination and supervision that need improvement for more optimal implementation. In this regard, Nomin, Resky, and Lusiana (2025) stated that the implementation of the school based management still faces significant obstacles, such as the gap between expectations and reality on the ground, as well as the low involvement of the school component in decisionmaking. In line with the current study, Berhanu (2023) identified the significant challenges of school based management as: the low administrative capacity of crucial members of the SBMs, uncertainty, overload, lack of cooperation from the school leaders, and teachers' misunderstanding of the importance of the SBM. Sintayehu and Alamu (2022) mentioned that school based management structure was mainly affected by lack of school facilities, lack of clarity of the roles between school managements. Also, lack of knowledge on SBM, lack of appropriate professional development for school leaders and inadequate finances. Villanueva and Cruz (2021) revealed that poor foundation of basic knowledge, inadequate school facilities and instructional materials, non-observance of time on task policy, students' misbehavior and poor academic interest, low parental support, as well as errors in learners' materials were among the challenges of SBM. Furthermore, Osea (2022) confirmed that the continuous and improved cooperation of all stakeholders is deemed essential to establish an advanced school based management level of practice. However, the introduction of SBM would be a way of addressing the current crisis in management of secondary schools, bringing about accountability, commitment by teachers in discharging their duties, efficient use of resources, timely syllabus coverage, delivery of quality education, improve efficiency and reduce need for supervision among other prospects if it was introduced in secondary schools in the district (Kiragu, King’oina and Migosi, 2013). Hence, future challenges to schools include carrying out a smooth transformation of the present school management structure to the required incorporated management committees, effective implementation of school-based management under the new bill and quality training for other stakeholders (Yu, 2005). Conclusions This study was designed to shade light on the practices and challenges of school based management in secondary schools of Khartoum state. Based on the study's findings, the secondary schools of Khartoum state practice school based management in terms of lead to active school vision, increase teachers motivation, teachers’ professional development, distribution of power in school, involvement of stakeholders in school-level management, and reduce supervision. The findings of the study also identified challenges like lack of school Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 355 facilities, inadequate parental participation, lack of cooperation from stakeholders, lack of knowledge on school based management, difficulties of coordination, lack of adequate authority for decision-making, lack of clarity of the roles between school principal, lack of appropriate professional development for school leaders, inadequate finances, and inadequately trained teachers. The implications of these findings might be adding to the understanding of how principals and teachers perceive their readiness and ability to take initiatives to implement school based management, specifically in secondary schools. Based on the study's findings, the study recommended enhancing the ways to practice the areas of school based management in secondary schools. The necessity to exert efforts to overcome the challenges that hindering the practices of school based management in secondary schools. In addition, education administrators should raise the awareness of the principals and teachers about the school based management (SBM). References Abu-Duhou, I., Hallak, J., & Ross, K. N. (1999). School-based management .UNESCO, International Institute for Educational Planning. 62 . Adam, A. R. (2017). Youth Education and Work in Sudan. University of Groningen - Summer School. Al Kaabi, A., & Ali, S. (2015). 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