Educational Planning & Administration

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Educators' perspectives of the implementation of the integrated quality management system (IQMS) in secondary schools within the Umlazi district of KwaZulu-Natal
(2005) Buthelezi, Cutbert Thembinkosi Ndodakayidlile; Chetty, M.K.K.
Current demands in education necessitate a shift away from traditional inspection and supervision models for school improvement, toward a transparent and democratic approach for Whole School Development (WSD). This has resulted in the need for schools to implement an Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS). The IGMS, in an educational context, is a collective concept that integrates three fundamental components of WSD, namely the Developmental Appraisal System (DAS), the Performance Measurement (PM) and Whole School Evaluation (WSE). This study investigates the implementation of the IQMS in secondary schools within the Umlazi district. Insight into the IQMS is provided via a review of relevant literature. Furthermore, questionnaires have been used to access data from educators about the implementation of the IQMS. Although most secondary schools have introduced the IQMS, many educators are still confused, not only about the process of implementing the IQMS, but also about the concepts used by the IQMS. Key findings of this study indicate the following: • In some schools, educators do not understand the IQMS instrument. • Advocacy and training programmes, in respect of the IQMS, are ineffective in some schools. • Some IQMS structures are not yet in place. Although the majority of educators indicated that they were aware of the IQMS instrument, 32% of the educators who participated in the survey indicated they had never heard about the IQMS instrument for educator evaluation. It is evident that such educators need greater exposure to the IQMS through advocacy and training programmes. It is also clear from this study that most schools are aware of the IQMS instrument but that implementation thereof remains problematic. This study is significant in that it exposes, in its findings, some of the problems experienced by schools in the implementation of the 1QMS. Recommendations to address some of these limitations are made in the last chapter of this publication.
An evaluation of the implementation of inclusive education within mainstream schools
(2004) Dladla, Sibongile Gugu; Ngcongo, R.P.G.; Chetty, M.K.K.
This study was influenced by the White Paper 6 document on inclusive education. The document proposes non-discrimination of learners which is in line with South African Constitution, Act 108 of 1996 and South African Schools, Act 1996. All learners should be accommodated in the class without any discrimination against race, gender and disabilities so as to have opportunities to develop their capacities and potential, and make their full contribution to the society. The empirical study, conducted at Ndwedwe Circuit in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), attempts to evaluate the implementation of inclusive education in mainstream schools. Data has been solicited from a sample population of school management teams by means of questionnaires. Both open and close-ended questions were used. The followings are reflected as key findings that emanated from the empirical study. * There is a general lack of information from school management teams about new education document relative to Inclusive Education which has -emerged recently such as Education White Paper 6 (2002). * There is a lack of teacher development programmes to capacitate the educators to effectively implement inclusive education in the mainstream schools. * There is also a shortage and/or inadequate infrastructure to support inclusive education within the mainstream schools. ^ The study also reveals that not all the respondents have appropriate knowledge or adequate information about inclusive education and effective strategies for it successful implementation. On the basis of the above findings, among others, the following key recommendations have been made. * Every educator in the mainstream schools should be adequately trained to implement Inclusive Education at the level of the classroom. * The department of education should provide meaningful and adequate support services to schools and school management teams (SMTs). * The school governing body should play an active role to promote inclusive education and training.
An evaluative study of the influence of the principal's leadership on learner academic performance
(2005) Mkhize, Thembinkosi Simon; Chetty, M.K.K.
Schools are judged by their results and the quality of learners they produce. The quality of learners depends, among other things, on the amount of knowledge and skills he or she acquired at school. Motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, plays a crucial role in the learner's performance and acquisition of knowledge. The principal, through the effective exercise of his leadership role, motivates learners to make concerted efforts to improve their academic performance. A literature study and empirical investigation were conducted to determine the principal's role in influencing learner academic performance. The study investigated the kind of leadership that the principal has to exercise in order to contribute to the improvement of learner academic performance. It also investigated the leadership style that the principal has to adopt to improve learner performance. Factors that hinder effective leadership and negatively affect learner performance were also highlighted. A key finding was that principals do not involve learners in making decisions on matters affecting them. Their leadership style has an autocratic bias and they cannot strike a balance between democratic and autocratic leadership. Most principals also did not provide instructional leadership in their schools by, among other things, monitoring learner progress, showing high expectations of learners and visiting classes regularly to ensure that teaching and learning take place. A key recommendation was that principals should keep communication channels open so that they are informed about the feelings, needs and problems learners encounter in schools. Monitoring of learner progress cannot be overemphasized. It was recommended that principals should involve learners in making decisions on matters affecting them. It was also recommended that effective leadership requires a balance between democratic and autocratic leadership styles.
An evaluative study of the principal's leadership role in facilitating participative management
(2005) Shezi, Sydney General; Chetty, M.K.K.
Educational policy reform such as South African Schools Act, No. 84 of 1996 and the National Education Poiicy Act, No. 27 of 1996 require all educators to participate actively in the governance and management of their schools with the view to providing better teaching and learning environments. Educators must participate in the management processes of their schools to bring about deliberate, meaningful and effective management. This study provides both a literature review and an empirical study of strategies that principals may adopt to facilitate participative management among educators. The following key findings emanated from the study: • There is a lack of educator involvement in the management process. • Principals do arrange formal meetings with educators frequently enough but do not structure meetings tightly enough. • There is a general lack of communication between the school management team and educators. • Educators are not involved in the implementation of educational policies. The following recommendations were extrapolated from the above findings: • Principals should encourage networking between schools so as to promote interschool communication, resource sharing, staff and learner collaboration and information exchange. • Principals should conduct staff training programmes and should promote teamwork among educators in their schools. • Effective management strategies should be made explicit in training workshops and policy documents such as the South African Schools Act, No. 84 of 1996, should be discussed in educator forums. It is the fervent hope of the researcher that this study will alert principals to pitfalls of authoritarian management styles and equip principals with practical strategies and techniques to effectively facilitate participative management in their respective schools.
An investigation into the principal's role in facilitating the effective participation of the School Governing Body in promoting quality education in public schools
(2007) Haines, Frederick Louis; Chetty, M.K.K.; Duma, M.A.N.
The South Africa Schools Act, (Act No. 84 of 1996) which came into effect on 1 January 1996 and the National Education Policy Act, (Act No. 21 of 1996) introduced a new approach to the South African Education system. These acts, and many policy documents produced by the National Department of Education, provide for the active participation of parents, educators, learners and other members of the community in the governance of schools. Whilst policy mandates stakeholder participation, in practice parent participation is problematic. This study therefore, investigates the role of the principal in facilitating the effective participation of the parent component of the SGB in the provision of quality education in public schools. A review of national and international literature was conducted to establish strategies principals use to facilitate the effective participation of the SGB. An empirical study was also undertaken. A questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended questions was utilized with the aim of accessing the level of interaction between the SGB and principals of schools. Data from the questionnaire revealed the following key findings, namely: • There is a lack of effective management of parent involvement in school governance. • Limited communication exists between the principal and SGB regarding planned school activities where the SGB is supposed to have an input. • As leaders, principals are grappling to secure effective parent participation in the provision of quality education. Some recommendations are as follows: • Principals should develop orientation and on-going training programmes to capacitate parents to participate effectively in promoting quality public education • Principals should develop an invitational environment at the school • Principals should promote a climate for sound conflict management • Principals should provide sufficient information to SGB members and communicate these timeously to them It is hoped that through this study, principals will be inspired to identify then-limitations relative to the facilitation of parent participation and subsequently adopt one or more of the recommendations offered to armour themselves with strategies to facilitate the effective participation of parents in the provision of quality education for all learners.
An investigation into the role of principals in the management and implementation of change in schools
(2006) Makhanya, Thandi Petunia; Chetty, M.K.K.
The South African School's Act No. 84 of 1996, calls for transformational leadership in schools. Principals are under obligation to comply with the stipulations of the act, which compel them to work in democratic and participative ways. School management and governance must be inclusive with roles and responsibilities defined for educators, parents and learners. Jointly they must ensure accountability, transparency in the delivery of quality public education. This study reviewed literature on the role of principals as change managers in schools. The Department.of Education (1999: 46-48) wishes to promote a culture of teaching and learning where respect is commanded through stature rather than status and the impetus of educational service delivery is about development rather than delivery of expertise. Principals are being called upon to manage and implement transformation that will embrace and give practical application to these ideals. In order to test principals' commitment to and effectiveness in change management, an empirical investigation was conducted in schools in the Umbumbulu Circuit of the Ethekwini region of KwaZulu-Natal. Findings of the study led to the following conclusions: • principals are grappling to implement changes in schools; • there is a lack of change management expertise in the ranks of principals; • principals resist change instead of initiating and implementing change. Several recommendations were drawn from the study. These included: • The development of a greater number of workshops to capacitate principals to manage change. • More concrete incentives are to be devised and implemented to motivate principals to accept change and implement policies that mandate change. • Effective change management strategies must be made explicit and brought to the attention of principals as concrete measures that can be used to facilitate change.
An investigation into the role of the SMT and SGB in developing a partnership for the promotion of quality education in schools
(2006) Ngongoma, Sandile Albert; Chetty, M.K.K.
Education policy documents such as the National Constitution, No. 108 of 1996 (NC) and the South African Schools Act, No. 84 of 1996 (SASA) mandate and encourage partnerships in the education system. Schools are recognized as being embedded within a wider socio-economic environment and must therefore develop effective and meaningful partnerships to facilitate communication and service channels that allow them to respond to the educational needs of their service constituency as well as to draw expertise and support from these constituencies thereby sustaining positive growth and remaining relevant. The democratisation of education has challenged School Manager Teams (SMTs) to transform the school's relationship with its service constituency and forge meaningful and effective partnerships between itself and the School Governing Bodies (SGBs) with the global aim of improving quality education. The SMT is the primary agent for an effectively management structure within a school. The SGB is the primary governance structure of the school. It is therefore critical for a solid partnership, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, to exist between these entities. The current study was triggered by an observation of school management and governance in practice which suggests that there is in many instances a breakdown in the development of an effective SMT-SGB partnership. Many reasons have been proposed to explain this phenomenon including the tack of parent involvement in school matters, the apparent dictator-like leadership style of some principals and the lack of participative management in schools (Chetty, 1998). Embarking on a literature review, the researcher investigates strategies to promote a partnership between school managers and parents as governors of schools. An empirical study is also undertaken to evaluate to what extent these strategies are being employed by SMTs and SGBs in building meaningful and effective partnerships and to exposing shortcomings in efforts to build such partnerships.
The leadership role of school management teams in marketing schools
(2006) Mbonambi, Herbert Bonginkosi; Chetty, M.K.K.
This study examines the leadership role of School Management Teams (SMTs) in marketing schools in the Lower Tugela Circuit in KwaZulu-Natal. School managers currently face the major challenge of finding innovative ways of attracting learners to their institutions. With at least part of their budget derived from school fees and private donors, they need to ensure solid learner enrolment numbers and good pass rates. To address this issue, SMTs are expected to employ business and marketing principles in their management plans. SMTs are faced with the task of changing educators' mindsets and perceptions with regard to marketing. They are required to inculcate a competitive spirit among educators and create partnerships with industries to attract sponsorships. Furthermore, SMTs need to ensure that the needs of their learners are satisfied. An empirical investigation was undertaken to assess and evaluate the role of SMTs in marketing their schools. Data was solicited from a sample of SMTs by means of questionnaires. Both open and closed-ended questions were used. The following are key findings of the study: • Some schools lack teacher development programmes to capacitate educators to market their schools effectively. • School Governing Bodies (SGBs) are not sufficiently involved in school marketing decisions. • Some schools have not established partnership with business and industry. On the basis of these findings, the following recommendations were made: • SMTs must be tasked with developing programmes to capacitate educators to market their schools effectively. • SGBs should be involved in a greater capacity in school marketing decisions. • SMTs should bridge the gap between schools as education service providers and business/industry as the ultimate consumer of these services, by marrying the business/industry knowledge and skills requirements with relevant school curriculum design.
The role of RCLs in the promotion of the culture of teaching and learning in secondary schools
(2004) Mdimore, Bhekumuzi Muzingendoda; Ngcongo, R.P.G.; Chetty, M.K.K.
The study investigated the role of RCLs in the promotion of the culture of teaching and learning in secondary schools. In this study the researcher employed a survey to achieve the aims of the study, and a questionnaire to obtain facts and opinions about the role of the RCL members. From the empirical study conducted in Pinetown District, the researcher found that the majority of the members of the RCLs in schools studied does contribute to the promotion of the culture of teaching and learning. However there was remarkably high percentage (65%) of respondents who were uncertain about the RCLs' role in facilitating the promotion of the culture of teaching and learning in secondary schools. Briefly data indicates that the uncertainty about the role functions of RCLs is due to the lack of training. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher made recommendations directed to the principals and the department of education and culture. The key recommendations are: > Principals need to develop appropriate and effective capacity building programmes for RCL members. > RCL members should be given a platform to communicate with the general learner population to facilitate and foster discipline among learners in schools. > Members of the RCL should be granted their legitimate rights to participate in decisions that affect them.
The role of school management teams in enhancing learner academic performance
(2005) Ndimande, Bhekisigcino Selby.; Chetty, M.K.K.
The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of School Management Teams (SMTs) on Learner Academic Performance (LAP). To achieve this, a literature review was conducted on relevant strategies that SMTs can adopt to enhance LAP. Furthermore, an empirical research project was launched to test the extent to which these strategies were or could be employed in local schools. The empirical study was conducted by means of a questionnaire-driven survey, administered in the Port Shepstone District. The study revealed that LAP is adversely affected in schools where learners are not part of the decision-making process and where they are not given immediate feedback after their assessment activities. In such cases, opportunities for improve performance were lost. Other key findings of the study suggest that: • Many STMs have not implemented staff development programmes. • Some SMTs have not involved parents in the formulation or implementation of LAP enhancement programmes. • Educators are not fully motivated to enhance LAP. • A general lack of communication between SMTs and the rest of the staff members compromises potential enhancement of LAP. • Some educators are not familiar with the vision of the school and consequently do not realise its goals. • LAP is negatively impacted in schools where there are indications of poor strategic planning. • A lack of non-management educator involvement in curriculum development also negatively impacts LAP. The above shortcomings were compared to recommended and best practices where suggested in research on LAP enhancement. The following suggestions were made in this regard: • The National Department of Education (NDoE) should provide resources for on-going capacity-building. • Parents should be involved in supporting the school to manage learners and learning activities effectively. • SMTs should capitalize on educator strengths, put in place educator development programmes to address areas of weakness and motivate educators to excel in teaching. • SMTs should create and maintain clear channels of communication. • SMTs and educators should develop a shared vision to enhance LAP and this should be communicated to all constituencies in the teaching and learning environment (including parents and the general community in which the school is embedded). • SMTs and educators should engage in strategic planning to enhance LAP. • SMTs should conduct staff training programmes on curriculum development. This study is deemed significant as it exposes, at grassroots level, problems experienced in enhancing LAP and makes practical recommendations on strategies to improve LAP. These recommendations are based on a review of both national and international literature and have precedents of successful implementation here and abroad.

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