“Why SISOs Are Complaining: A Cry from the Field.”

Introduction: Voices Rising from the Frontline

Across many districts, the School Improvement Support Officers (SISOs) have become the backbone of educational supervision. They are the bridge between the Directorate and the classroom, ensuring that teaching, learning, and administrative systems run effectively. Yet, beneath their commitment lies deep frustration. More and more SISOs are voicing their concerns—concerns that point to systemic issues that need urgent attention.

This article presents the realities on the ground and why SISOs everywhere are crying out for support.

1. Excessive Workload with Limited Resources

SISOs are charged with supervising dozens of schools across wide geographic areas. They trek long distances—often on poor roads—to monitor classrooms, hold conferences with teachers, and support heads.

Yet, many do so without motorbikes, fuel allocations, or logistical support. A job meant to be routine becomes a daily struggle for survival.

“How do you expect us to supervise effectively when we have no means of getting to the schools?” one SISO lamented during a field forum.

2. Administrative Burden Beyond Their Core Duties

The modern SISO is no longer just a supervisor. They are also:

Data collectors

Report writers

Facilitators of in-service training

Coordinators of extra classes

Monitors for NGO programmes

Organisers of district and regional directives

What should be supportive supervision has become a mountain of administrative tasks, assigned with tight deadlines and little support.

3. Lack of Professional Development and Motivation

Despite being the key technical officers on the field, many SISOs receive minimal refresher training. Workshops are infrequent, allowances are inconsistent, and opportunities for professional growth are limited.

When officers who train and assess teachers are themselves not empowered, motivation naturally drops.

A SISO once remarked:

“We motivate teachers, but who motivates us?”

4. Inadequate Recognition in the Educational Structure

While SISOs carry huge responsibilities, their role is often misunderstood or undervalued.

Some heads of schools treat SISO visits lightly. Some district leaders see them only as field messengers.

Yet, learning outcomes strongly depend on the quality of supervision—a fact often overlooked.

5. Pressure from Parents, Communities, and Leadership

SISOs feel the squeeze from all sides:

Parents blame them for poor results.

Communities expect miracles.

Leadership demands efficiency without providing tools.

Teachers see them as enforcers rather than partners.

Caught in the middle, they absorb pressure from every direction.

6. Salary and Promotion Concerns

Many SISOs entered the role with high hopes, believing it to be a channel for professional advancement.

However, promotions are slow, salary levels do not match the workload, and incentives for field officers are almost nonexistent.

7. Emotional and Physical Fatigue

When an officer spends long days on motorbikes, crosses streams to reach remote schools, prepares reports late into the night, and still receives criticism for delays, the emotional toll is heavy.

This fatigue is rarely recognised.

Conclusion: Time to Listen and Act

SISOs are not complaining because they are unwilling to work. They are complaining because they are working too much, with too little, for too long. Their cries are a call for systemic reforms—better logistics, clearer roles, improved motivation, and stronger institutional recognition.

If we truly want improved learning outcomes, then supporting SISOs is non-negotiable.

The field has spoken. It is time to listen.