The purpose of the research was to investigate stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences of teachers’ participation in school management and decision-making. Teachers’ involvement is a contested issue in schools. The goal was to find out to what extent and in what way teachers participate in school issues, as well as gain insight and understanding on the effects of participation of teachers in schools and how principals enhance democratic practice for quality education. The research was a case study conducted within the interpretive qualitative paradigm. I used document analysis, semi-structured interviews and observation to collect data for validity purposes and to counter subjectivity. The findings revealed at least a significant progress in terms of the Education Act, no 16 of 2001 requirement, of teachers’ participation in management and decision-making in schools, which has been an issue in the past. The study revealed that decisions are taken after consultation through consensus. The study revealed that the participation approach promotes ownership and commitment of staff to higher performance and common goals. The findings emerged that participative management has advantages for achieving higher performance through collaboration, consultation, and broader participation. The foremost findings include school principals’ roles in enhancing a collegial management approach by delegating, sharing leadership and responsibilities, and establishing organisation structures and committees involving teachers. Meetings serve as a platform for communication and sharing of information with stakeholders. However, there were also signs of tensions amid school management teams (SMTs) and teachers on participation in school matters in all aspects. Furthermore, its time-consuming nature, authoritarianism and accountability emerged as major challenges affecting the implementation of the participative approach. In addition to that, the study revealed that lack of knowledge and skills, unwillingness to involve others and to participate affects the implementation of the theory. As a result, the study recommends to the policies makers and the Ministry of Education to organize training for all stakeholders on participative management to empower them. Moreover, the study recommends to regional managers, inspectors, and advisory teachers (AT) to provide information to institutions responsible for teacher training to accommodate the theory into their curriculum. School principals should undergo training programmes or in-service training for participative leadership purposes to enhance their leadership capacity and to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

The study set out to investigate the perceived effects of the Leadership Development Programme, a two-years training programme for school principals in the Ondangwa East Educational Region of Namibia. The objective has been to find out whether the training curriculum and content were related to what participating principals thought they needed to help them to do their work better, and improve their schools. Data were collected through interviews with two of the first group of nine principals who have completed the training. The study has found that the Leadership Development Programme helped the participating principals to experience personal changes and professional growth. Through the process of participatory action research, the Leadership Development Programme has been able to bring together theory and practice. It has also helped the principals to recognize their responsibility for planning, implementing and evaluation of action, and problem solving initiatives in their schools. The study has also found that the Leadership Development Programme recognized, and therefore applied, the element of experiential/adult learning. Although the Programme has had its basic core curriculum, its content and training process have been flexible in the sense that the Programme tried first to establish what participants knew, and then assisted them to gain a new and enquiring perspective on their knowledge and practice, which helped them to become reflective practitioners. While the study could not establish with a degree of certainty as to what extent the principals have taken up the processes of the training Programme in their schools, it has, however, found that there are many positive changes brought in about schools during the time the training was running. Secondly, while the study could obviously not establish a direct link between every change and the inputs made by the training Programme, it concluded, however, that the Programme at least brought about changes in the mindsets of principals, which were conducive to teaching and learning. What was important, though, was the question of how many of the initiatives were still bearing fruit three years after the training has taken place.

The question of gender in leadership continues to be a contentious and poorly understood phenomenon. There seems general agreement that women do lead differently from men, and this study begins from that premise, focusing on a case in which leadership has traditionally been the domain of females. The case was chosen for its uniqueness, the assumption being that in these circumstances leadership may have developed particular characteristics. Following a qualitative approach (drawing on phenomenology), the study seeks to investigate how women leaders experience their roles as leaders. In-depth interviews made it possible for me to capture the perceptions and experiences of the three women leaders I interviewed. The study reveals that women are more inclined to use interactive styles of leadership. Women use leadership that is more participative, negotiative, cooperative, shared and collaborative. These characteristics are in line with the features of transformational leadership which differs from the more traditional transactional leadership that is more controlled and directive. The study has also shown that leadership develops from within the person of the leader as the leader is the one who spearheads the organization through vision, ideas, beliefs andassumptions. The findings of this study suggest thus that unless women are given chances to prove how they can lead, this new approach of leadership within them and that is required by modern organizations would be lost and leadership would remain relatively unchanged and undesirable. In the context of Namibia, this study should be of potential significance because of the rapid change that is taking place in the inclusion of women in leadership and management positions in education.

The transformation of education has been central to the programme of the first democratically elected government in Namibia, both because of the democratic demands for equality, equity and access, and as a means towards the wider transformation of Namibian community. The study provides a brief history of the pre- and post-independence education policy environment in Namibia with regard to how management and leadership of schools gave rise to opportunities for the development of democratic participation. Adopting an interpretive approach, the study examines several key stakeholders' perceptions of the impact of transformation initiatives on their leadership and management thinking and practice. The sample comprised four teachers, a principal, a director, a school board member, two learners and a hostel matron. The findings reveal that, in order to create a democratic school community, the stakeholders' role is largely a matter of opposing and transcending the contradictions, inadequacies and limitations inherent in the educational ideas, policies and practices caused by the previous Apartheid education system. There is a reasonable amount of success in the implementation process of democratic leadership and management of schools. The findings further highlight contradictory tendencies, in that the Ministry of Basic Education Sports and Culture established a uniform system of education but also entertained the principle of decentralised governance through the introduction of school based management practice incorporating the main stakeholders at local level. The data confirms a communication gap between stakeholders, lack of adequate education and training in participatory management and leadership for learners, parents, teachers and school boards, and insufficient support from the national and the regional authorities. The study concludes with some specific recommendations that might strengthen stakeholders' sense of their participation in democratic practices for longer-term cost effective implementation to occur. This is supported by the belief that education policy change only becomes a reality once understood, owned and appreciated at local level.

After independence in 1990, Namibian schools were required by the new government to shift from a hierarchical organisational structure with authoritarian leadership to a more democratic type of leadership that offers teachers the opportunity to participate in school leadership and in decision-making processes. This shift is suggested in a number of national policies in Namibia that highlight the sharing of leadership within the organization and, in particular, the sharing of leadership with teachers. As such, teacher leadership is a manifestation of distributed leadership which emphasizes that leadership can be located in the position of the principal but can spread over many people who work in a school at various levels. While teacher leadership is well researched in developed countries, it is under researched in Namibia. Against this backdrop, the purpose of my study was to explore the concept and practice of teacher leadership as an organizational phenomenon in a case study school in the Ncuncuni circuit of the Kavango region in Namibia. It also examined the factors that enabled and inhibited the practice of teacher leadership. My study was conducted within a qualitative interpretive paradigm and it adopted a case study approach in one school. The study used the following instruments to collect data: a closed questionnaire, document analysis, observations and individual interviews. The primary participants were the principal and three teachers, while the entire school teaching staff constituted my secondary participants. Quantitative data was analysed manually using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analysed thematically using a model of teacher leadership (Grant, 2008). The findings of my study indicated that while the concept of teacher leadership was new to all participants, they had a common sense understanding of it. Although teachers in the study understood teacher leadership in a range of different ways, the overarching idea of the whole school was that teachers lead both in and outside the classroom. My study also found that teachers in the school practiced teacher leadership across the entire four zones. These included how teacher leadership was practiced inside the classroom and how teachers worked as leaders with colleagues and learners beyond their classroom in curricular and extra-curricular activities. It also included how teachers led outside their classroom in whole school development as well as how teachers led beyond their schools in the community. Teacher leadership was strong in the first three zones and weaker in the fourth zone, which constituted an example of 'successful teacher leadership' (Harris and Muijs, 2005). There were factors that promoted teacher leadership in the case study school such as a supportive culture and ongoing professional development. Factors that constrained the practice of teacher leadership were also evident like the SMT who used its power at times to control teachers' decisions and a lack of time also emerged as a barrier that impeded teachers from taking leadership roles because they already had full teaching programmes. Even though there were some barriers to teacher leadership, a dispersed distributed leadership context prevailed at the case study school.

The changing global and local circumstances and shift for democracy posed particular problems for school administration and leadership and made it difficult for principals to fulfil leadership responsibilities in schools alone. Hence principals require the assistance of all stakeholders in the school, and teachers in particular, to work together as a team and share the diverse leadership load for the improvement of schools. Thus, leadership in schools needs to be shared and distributed in a collaborative manner among teachers and principals working as a group to accomplish the primary objective of their schools, which is to improve learners’ achievement. For this idea to be embraced, I suggest it may require an urgent need for advanced knowledge and understanding of teacher leadership in schools, among teachers and principals, if schools are to thrive. This research studied the phenomenon of teacher leadership at a public rural school in the Ohangwena region of Namibia. It explored the teachers’ experiences of their leadership roles, and specifically the challenges inherent within the practice of teacher leadership in a school. A qualitative interpretive case study was conducted, employing document analysis, semi‐structured interviews and observations to produce data with regard to teachers’ experiences of their leadership roles, challenges inherent within its practice and possible strategies to promote teacher leadership. The analysis and the triangulation across the data sets suggested that teacher leadership existed in the case study school where it appeared in four different areas of leadership practice. These areas of leadership practices (Grant, 2008, p. 93) were, for example, in the classroom, outside the classroom in curricular and extra‐curricular activities, in school‐wide leadership development and between other neighbouring schools in the community. The school had a view of teacher leadership which was strongly located within the classroom and outside the classroom in curricular and extra‐curricular activities where teachers worked and interacted with their colleagues and learners. Teacher leadership was severely limited in the area of whole school development and almost non‐existent in the area outside the school between teachers across neighbouring schools, at circuit or district level and in the community. The study suggested that the nature of teacher leadership in the case study school was a restricted form of teacher leadership (Harris and Muijs, 2005) due to a range of factors which impeded its practice. The factors were, for example, a lack of involvement of all teachers in whole school leadership and school‐wide decision‐making. Other factors were limited time for teachers in the school, a lack of leadership development amongst the principal and teachers as well as resistance for teachers to leadership in the case study school.

The primary purpose of this qualitative case study research was to examine the role of leadership in a successful rural secondary school in Namibia. In Namibia, the Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ESTIP) was initiated to provide, amongst other things, effective leadership in education. In addition, the Ministry developed a policy on the National Standards and Performance Indicators for Schools in Namibia to complement the objectives of ETSIP. The policy emphasizes leadership practices in schools such as professional competence, commitment, ability to direct, inspire and motivate interpersonal relationships and teams. The study drew on leadership theories and findings from related studies to make sense of the role played by leadership in this particular rural school in Namibia. The study uses the interpretive orientation as the methodology for investigating the leadership's role. This is in line with my attempt to determine stakeholder's experiences and perceptions of the leadership in the school. I collected data from three sources: semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. The findings of this study suggest that the leadership had a significant influence on the school's success. In particular it emerged that the school leadership played an instructional role to ensure there was effective teaching and learning and that they encouraged teamwork extensively in leading the school. The leadership provided internal support structures as well as external networking to garner support for the school from the wider community. The study has also revealed that there are challenges facing this rural school's leadership in terms of poor parental involvement. Challenges such as lack of parental commitment to the school, illiteracy among adults and a communication breakdown between the school and its parents are still rife. The school leadership addresses this challenge by participating in village meetings and utilizing them as a platform to discuss school matters with parents. Further research on this topic would be useful, including such institutions as rural primary schools, private schools and colleges in the Caprivi Region, as very little research has been done on leadership roles in schools in the rural areas of Namibia.

The appreciation by leadership of the culture of an organisation plays an important role in the success of that organisation. Leadership and organisation culture are an inextricable part of the life of an organisation. The shared assumptions and beliefs of the individual within an organisation shape its culture. My study investigates the aspects of school culture and, further, looks at its link to the success of an organisation, and at the leadership style that influences such an organisation. My research, conducted in the interpretive paradigm, is a case study which was carried out at a public secondary school in the capital city of Windhoek, in Namibia. Since the school was built during South African rule, it was intended mainly for white children. Since independence, it has undergone transformation and is currently integrated, accommodating learners from different cultural backgrounds. It is a successful school, with a good reputation for its discipline and academic excellence. I chose this school deliberately, for those reasons. My findings are that there are aspects of culture which maintain its creation and perpetuate the existence of a particular culture at the school. This school’s culture is embedded within the Christian faith, and there are deliberate rituals and ceremonies put in place to enhance the creation and maintenance of the values that inform its culture, and the school leadership, management, teachers and student council members have a central role in this regard. My study shows that the creation, understanding and appreciation of beliefs and values of the individual within the organisation enable the consequent creation of the shared vision and values that ultimately lead to the foundation and maintenance of a strong culture.

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of principals and school board members (SBMs) regarding their working relationship in the Zambezi region of Namibia. Not much research about this area has been conducted in the Zambezi region and Namibia at large. The reviewed literature posits that principals play a major role in creating effective working relationships with SBMs. It also argues that positive working relationships between principals and SBMs are at the heart of making a school extraordinary. This working relationship can be fruitful if there is a closer understanding of the roles and responsibilities between the principals and SBMs. Three leadership theories that seemed to suit the study were analyzed and discussed. The transformational leadership, partnership and Dewey’s theory of democracy in education were relevant to this study. The three leadership theories guided the study in exploring the perceptions of principals and SBMs regarding their working relationships in the Zambezi region. They also guided the study to clarify the challenges that contributed to the lack of trusting working relationships between principals and SBMs in the Zambezi region in Namibia. The study is located in the interpretive paradigm, where a qualitative case study approach to the research problem was employed. For the purpose of the study, the researcher selected six schools, two primary schools, two combined and two senior secondary schools, as sites to explore the research problem. It is important to mention that the findings of the study cannot be generalized to all school boards in Namibia, since the research was limited to six schools in the Zambezi region only. The researcher summarized the findings of the study according to the four research questions. The findings derived from this study revealed that the majority of principals and SBMs perceived their working relationship as collegial. However, the study also revealed that some SBMs did not have a good working relationship with the principals. SBMs were not aware of how the finances of the school were utilized. Furthermore, they accused principals of not being transparent when it came to staff appointments. The findings from this study also revealed that, when there was a good working relationship between principals and SBMs at the school, it became easier to maintain discipline among learners and that learners performed better. There needs to be good communication between principals and SBMs, as principals and SBMs are important partners when it comes to the smooth running of a school. There were consultations between principals and SBMs on matters regarding school development. It was, furthermore, learnt that, where there were consultations between principals and SBMs, unity and trust were developed. The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (2001:15; 2016:2) in Namibia clearly points out that “For every state school, a school board must be established to administer the school affairs and promote the development of the school and learners of the school” and to “ensure the school is effective in its teaching and learning programme”. However, the study revealed that principals and SBMs were not working in accordance with the Education Act, Act 16 of 2001. SBMs lost interest in participating in school activities. It became evident that SBMs did not seem to be attending school board meetings when invited and rendered many excuses. It emerged from the findings that parent SBMs wanted to be given sitting allowances when attending school board meetings. The findings from the study indicate that there should be good communication between principals and SBMs. Regular school board meetings could help build a good working relationship between principals and SBMs. School board training should be organized for principals and SBMs. To mitigate the challenges faced by principals and SBMs regarding their working relationship in the Zambezi region of Namibia, recommendations associated with understanding of and adherence to policies, working together, communication, trust and fear among SBMs, are that all schools should have scheduled school board meetings that are communicated very early to everyone concerned and SBMs should be given sitting allowances. The researcher recommends that principals and SBMs receive compulsory and appropriate training that will help them to understand and perform their roles and responsibilities well. Where necessary, school board trainers should use a vernacular language (or seek the services of an interpreter) so that parent SBMs who are not fluently bilingual can understand and grasp all essential concepts of the training programme. In addition, the researcher recommends that community members, who are educated and knowledgeable but do not have children at the school, should be co-opted to serve on the school board. There should be clear policies and processes regarding the recruitment of staff who works at the school. The researcher posits that effective communication can be enhanced by employing vernacular languages in meetings to ensure that parent SBMs understand all the proceedings and are involved. It is advisable for the principal and other SBMs to communicate effectively, keep to what they say and always follow through with tangible actions. To reduce fear demonstrated by Learners’ Representative Council (LRCs) serving on the school board during meetings, it is advisable to give appropriate training so that they can gain a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities. In order for principals to work in harmony with SBMs, it is essential to have well-defined roles, as well as to treat everyone fairly and respectfully. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)