Assessment of School Heads’ Capacity for Curriculum Supervision in Public Primary Schools in Akwa Ibom State

School heads play a critical role in supervising curriculum delivery, yet their capacity to perform this function effectively in Akwa Ibom State's public primary school system has not been systematically assessed. This study assessed the capacity of public primary school heads to supervise curriculum delivery in Uyo, Eket, and Abak Local Government Areas, Akwa Ibom State, South South Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was employed, with questionnaires administered to 120 school heads and 240 teachers. The school head questionnaire assessed knowledge of supervision techniques, supervision frequency, feedback delivery, and collaborative curriculum review practices. Teacher questionnaire assessed their experience of receiving supervision and its impact on classroom practice. Results showed that 63.3 percent of school heads reported conducting classroom supervision at least once per term, but only 29.2 percent provided structured written feedback. Curriculum review discussions with teachers occurred in only 33.3 percent of schools. School heads' self-rated confidence in giving instructional feedback was moderate (mean 3.1 out of 5). Teacher-reported change in practice following supervision was low at 24.2 percent, suggesting that supervision is occurring without sustained instructional impact. The study concludes that school heads in Akwa Ibom State public primary schools have limited curriculum supervision capacity and recommends formal instructional supervision training, structured feedback protocol templates, and inclusion of curriculum supervision outcomes in school head performance appraisals.

Keywords: curriculum supervision, school head capacity, primary school, Akwa Ibom State, instructional leadership