Leadership Management at the Semarang City Maritime School: Challenges and Strategies

Abstract

This article discusses the importance of leadership management in the management of maritime schools in Semarang City. Maritime schools play a very important role in preparing competent human resources in the maritime sector, which is one of the strategic industries in Indonesia. Effective leadership management in maritime schools will determine the quality of education provided as well as prepare graduates to face global challenges. This article aims to identify the key challenges faced in the leadership management of maritime schools and provide various strategies to improve the quality of leadership in these schools. This study aims to analyze and evaluate leadership management in maritime schools in Semarang City. As an educational institution that aims to produce a quality workforce in the maritime industry, the leadership role in these schools is very important to determine the quality of graduates produced. This study uses a qualitative method with a case study approach, data is obtained through in-depth interviews with school principals, teachers, and administrative staff, as well as field observations and document analysis. The results of the study show that most maritime schools in Semarang apply a transformational leadership style, where the principal plays the role of an agent of change that encourages innovation and improves the competence of educators and students. This leadership style contributes positively to the quality of learning, especially in responding to the demands of modern technology in the maritime sector. However, this study also found challenges in the management of maritime schools, especially related to budget limitations for the development of educational facilities and teacher professionalism. Facilities such as navigation simulators, laboratories, as well as outdated safety equipment, are major obstacles in ensuring the relevance of education to international standards. In addition, collaboration with the maritime industry is still limited and sporadic, resulting in a gap between the skills taught in schools and the needs of the industry. Several schools that have collaborated with industry through internship and training programs have shown better results in terms of graduate job readiness. The study also shows that schools with more innovative and collaborative leadership tend to have better performance, both in terms of student academic achievement and teaching quality. Based on these findings, the researcher recommends several strategic steps to improve leadership management in maritime schools, including increased budget support, strengthening cooperation with industry, adoption of competency-based assessment systems, and further development in the use of educational technology. With the implementation of these strategies, it is hoped that maritime schools will be more prepared to produce competent graduates and be ready to face the challenges of the increasingly competitive global maritime industry
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