Management practices of competency-based education by primary school principals in Eswatini
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Date
2022
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Abstract
The introduction of Competency-based Education (CBE) in the Eswatini primary schools in 2019 brought about change in the management practices of the primary schools’ principals. They were mandated to see to it that the CBE curriculum is effectively implemented. However, there was minimal capacitation of this CBE curriculum. The aim of this study was to explore the management practices by primary school principals on the Implementation of Competency-based Education in Eswatini. The study followed the pragmatist philosophy and followed a mixed method approach. The skills theory of leadership and the management functions theory were used as lenses that underpinned this empirical study. Two research instruments; the questionnaire and face to face semi structured interviews were utilized for soliciting data from the purposively and conveniently sampled respondents and participants for the quantitative and qualitative data sources, respectively. The findings of this study pointed out that principals do practice their management roles although they have limitations brought by lack of confidence with the CBE curriculum. On the part of the implementability of CBE, the results established some impediments in the implementation. These include the fact that the Eswatini economy proved to be a challenge for the implementability of this curriculum reform, hence the CBE implementation was seen as haphazardly done; Inadequate resources, both human and material, which include infrastructure in the schools and lack of capacity development which affects the implementation of CBE in the schools. The study recommends that government extensively capacitate principals, educators and parents in CBE and provide resources in all schools. A model is proposed from the findings for the realization of effective implementation and management practices by the principals.
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the academic requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Foundations of Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Zululand, 2022.