Some administrative and management challenges and related problems facing principals of Technical Colleges in KwaZulu : an exploratory study

Abstract
The main aim of this research is to identify some administrative challenges and related problems facing principals of Technical Colleges in KwaZulu. The major problem in KwaZulu Technical Education is the apparent lack of involvement of college principals in curriculum planning, research and administrative decision-making process. It appears that it is impossible in practice to carry out any proposals involving innovations within a technical college and also very difficult for principals to update knowledge or content to be in line with the demands of commerce and industry. The study was intended to reveal that certain challenges and problems in the technical college have a great effect on the quality of training. The lack of communication between principals of technical colleges and commerce and industry and also the lack of consultation between the Department of Education and Culture, KwaZulu and the business world has a negative effect on the training of employable students in KwaZulu. This problem is described in Chapter one. In order to understand the nature of the problem, it became necessary to sketch briefly the Historical Development of Technical Education for Africans in South Africa as a general background to the understanding of the problem confronting KwaZulu Technical Education. This is done in Chapter two. The conceptual framework regarding the administrative challenges and related problems facing technical education in KwaZulu is described in Chapter three. The research design and procedure are described in Chapter four. The interview and the questionnaire techniques were used in gathering data. Three areas were selected from which a sample of technical colleges would be used for purposes of interviewing principals. The three areas where urban, peri-urban and rural. The principals responses and analysis are presented in Chapter five. The summary of conclusions and recommendations are presented in Chapter six. Principal findings of the Investigation 1. The colleges emphasized mostly theory rather than skills to the (extent that most of the trained technicians are charged not to be suitable to the business and industry of today. 2. There was no or very limited co-operation between technical colleges and either business and industry community. The technical colleges are thus unable to project future needs of local industry with the result that many of their graduates are not yet employed. 3. There was high degree of concensus among the principals about staff-involvement in any attempt related to the research of the needs of community in KwaZulu. 4. Technical Education geared to meeting the needs of commerce and industry must be offered in all KwaZulu technical colleges. 5. There was also a high consensus among the principals about the appointment of Public Relations Officers in Technical Colleges of KwaZulu. 6. The principals of technical colleges must be given a chance to research the needs of commerce and industry and contribute to the curriculum development and construction on behalf of their technical colleges. 7. A curriculum Committee for all Technical Colleges in KwaZulu comprised of the representatives from commerce and industry, Department of Education (KwaZulu), and Principals and Heads of Departments from all technical colleges must be formed. This is essential for the continual revision of existing course content, whether the content is still in line with the demands of industry. Secondly, the committee will be responsible for curriculum research, planning and design for all technical colleges in KwaZulu. 8. Some new courses failed to attract the required number of students to make the course viable. The reason for failure is the fact that they were not sufficiently advertised and that the principals did not investigate whether there was a need for that course before introducing it. 9. It was agreed that an organized industry in Natal/KwaZulu be approached to consult with the RSA Association of Technical Colleges with the purpose of obtaining the necessary changes in the Nl, N2 and N3 Syllabuses which will make the latter more relevant to the various trades. 10. The Legislation governing apprentice training in KwaZulu be brought into line with that of the RSA and that the regulations pertaining thereto are applied both in the public and private sectors. 11. The practical training conducted at the technical colleges be brought into line with the competency based modular training schemes for the various trades instituted by the respective industry training boards in the RSA. 12. The development and provision of training courses for the workseekers in KwaZulu be either contingent on the avalability of appropriate job opportunities or be geared towards self employment. 13. Career education must be introduced into KwaZulu schools which ensures that the pupil leaves school with the training base required by industry.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration, University of Zululand, 1991.
Keywords
School management and organization, Technical Education, Technical colleges, Technical colleges--administrative challenges and problems
Citation