Contextualising Headteacher Leadership Enactment in Ghana’s Early Childhood Education

This study explored how Headteachers in Ghana lead Early Childhood Education within constraining systems. Drawing on Paulo Freire’s conceptualising of empowerment and equality, the research examined six headteachers’ lived experiences through interviews, focus groups, and observations. Findings show these leaders have intense responsibilities, frequently with little power to make fundamental changes. They draw on local values of collectivism and care, such as the African philosophical concept of Ubuntu, to lead in creative and relational ways. Through the findings, this study proposes the new concept of ethnorelagency, which embodies leadership to be both culturally grounded and socially responsive.