The implementation of a new curriculum has become a very relevant issue in South Africa with the implementation of Curriculum 2005 (C 2005) since 1998. The school principal plays a very important role at school level in the implementation of change in general and a new curriculum in particular. The aim of this study was to have a closer look at this role. It is a qualitative study executed in six schools in the Port Elizabeth area. It investigates the problems school principals experienced with the implementation of C 2005 with the objective of identifying guidelines for the role of the principal in the implementation of a new curriculum The most important findings include the importance of equipping the principal to provide guidance with the implementation of a new curriculum. This equipping refers to the principal’s knowledge of the new curriculum, the ability to employ various leadership styles, as well as the maintenance of a certain balance between supporting and putting pressure on the staff. Other findings refer to the importance of well-trained and prepared facilitators of workshops, as well as the role the Department of Education needs to play in the training and preparation of these facilitators. The ongoing support of schools in the implementation process also needs to be emphasized. The principal should play a key role with respect to this last role of the Department. The study also emphasizes the principal’s responsibility to bind the educators together in building a shared vision, so that their focus will remain on the curriculum implementation.

M.Ed. (Education Management) / The effectiveness of proper educational teaching can be ascribed to a great extent to the efficacy of principals. Consequently, this paper attempts to determine the requirements for successful principal ship in secondary schools of the Department Education and Training. On the basis of the annual reports of the Department Education and Training there seem to be certain striking problem areas which can be identified and with which the principals of this department have to cope ...

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / This study is part of the SANPAD (Southern African Netherlands Partnership for Alternatives in Development) research project. It seeks to answer the research question, how do women principals experience curriculum leadership at schools in disadvantaged communities in the Gauteng East District? The dawn of South African democracy gave rise to many changes and awoke many dormant issues, one of which was the issue of equity in the workplace. This extended into the sphere of education. There are many women who have managed to penetrate this equity barrier and reach positions of leadership in schools. I conducted this research at three schools, which are located in disadvantaged communities in the Gauteng East District in Gauteng Province in South Africa. For this qualitative research I used observations and semi-structured interviews to elicit data from the participants. During the analysis of this data the following themes emerged: (1) exercising a successful leadership style; (2) the principal as a curriculum leader; (3) socio-economic profile of community and its impact on curriculum; (4) striking a balance between family and school and (5) stakeholder participation and support. This study reveals that women principals continue to experience challenges within school; from the community outside school and in their personal lives. Stereotyping still exists, especially in communities where men are still privileged over women. Women principals need a support structure to persevere as curriculum leaders. This research project concludes with suggestions and recommendations for future research.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (DPhil (Education Management))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Education at the Durban Institute of Technology, 2004. / The ultimate goal of this research is to demonstrate the positive effect that can be achieved in the educational management arena by following the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba. This work attempts to add the voice of Sathya Sai Baba in classroom and school management and to demonstrate how his teachings could be used to the benefit of school principals, fellow educators and learners. In this research, focus is placed on secondary schools in the central Stanger area as the researcher is a principal in this area / M

The aim of this study was to explore views of the township high school principals regarding their approaches to teacher absenteeism management, with the objective of formulating an integrated strategic management model, which can be used to manage teacher absenteeism. To realise this goal, the following actions were undertaken: A literature study was conducted to uncover the absenteeism curbing strategies that will assist the school principals to deal with teacher absenteeism. A literature study was also conducted to determine the scope and the nature of teacher absenteeism as well as the legal framework that governs the management of absenteeism. A documental analysis of the policies, as provided by the Department of Education, was conducted to determine exactly what they entail regarding absenteeism management. The forces driving absenteeism and the variables involved in those forces, as well as elements making up those variables were identified and their influences were investigated. Hence, a theoretical framework consisting of these causal variables was developed to focus on the management of teacher absenteeism. As a result of this theoretical framework, an instrument in the form of a questionnaire was designed to determine the principals’ approach to teacher absenteeism as well as their consistency with the model. The survey was conducted in the township high schools in the Port Elizabeth District of Education. The findings from the empirical research indicated a strong agreement amongst the respondents, with the prevalence of unauthorised teacher absences, factors influencing absenteeism, teacher absenteeism management strategies as well as compliance with the teacher absenteeism management programme/plan.

M.Ed. (Education Management) / Taking up the first principalship is a demanding career transition involving emergency professional development, not only for the new principal to move from the role of teacher and administrator, but for him to successfully diagnose a new culture. The degree of success that a new principal -has in discovering, understanding, developing further and managing a new school culture within the first year of his appointment, will determine his overall effectiveness in managing the new school. Against this background, the focus of this research paper will be to identify and define school culture. Included here will be a discussion of what constitutes culture, the process of acculturation, the influence of sub-cultures and the impediment of culture on both management and change. The role of the new principal in managing and where necessary changing existing culture in a school is described in this paper. The problem areas likely to be encountered and the solutions to these problems are also discussed. A strategy is proposed to assist future new principals with the problem of managing existing culture in the school. Divided into three parts, the strategy assist the new principal to read the existing culture of the school. Secondly, it proposes that the new principal follows a collaborative process for the review of and transformation of existing school culture. The final part of the strategy is to revise and establish innovative communication networks to ensure the strategy's overall success.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of a Master's Degree in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Zululand, 2006. / 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.

A dissertation submitted to the FACULTY OF EDUCATION at the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration, 2002. / The research examines the position power of the principals in decision making with a view to establishing how learners and educators respond to the principals' decisions. It also explores the principals' involvement with school management team and school governing body in decision making and how the Department of Education helps or hinders the principals in decision making. Questionnaires were used by the researcher to establish the above scope of the study. The researcher found that the principal's decisions are accepted by school management team, school governing body and learners if these parties were involved in the decision-making process. Educators were found to be sometimes difficult and, instead of contributing positively to decision making, they use the opportunity to criticise the principal and thereby hinder the decision-making process. The study reveals that the respondents feel that the attitude of the principals towards learners, educators and parents contribute to how their decisions are accepted by all these parties. From the study it is established that principals use their skills and knowledge to facilitate the effectiveness of their position power, and thereby influence the decisions positively in order to get work done. The study also reveals that the principals involve the school governing body in decision making. This improves the relationship between principals and school governing bodies and results in commitment to the implementation of decisions, and therefore the success of the school. There is a low involvement of school management team in decision¬making, and this is a problem for the school community as a whole as it will result in poor implementation of decisions. The study further reveals that the interaction between the Department of Education and the principals is inadequate. The principals are not involved in the policy-making decisions that affect their schools and this in turn causes problems for the principals in the implementation of these decisions. This results in principals having to contact the Department of Education requesting direction even on petty issues. Inadequate involvement of principals by the Department is disempowering, and threatens the fulfillment of the Department of Education's intention of empowering schools.

Bibliography: pages 87-99. / The aim of this study is to describe and critically analyse the experiences and challenges facing first-year principals in secondary schools in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area. The study focuses on the impact of change and reform on beginner principals, the problems that arise as a result; coping strategies of beginner principals and the support available to them. While the emphasis is on analysing the issues and drawing out implications, the study begins to identify those solutions and training needs which beginner principals see as useful. Many of these principals are products of the rationalisation measures of 1992/3, and the restructuring of education. This process has included the emergence of elements of School-Based Management, which follows on the history of state-aided schools in South Africa, such as the Model C schools. These elements are reconfigured in the recommendations of the Hunter Commission and the policy of the White Paper on the Organisation, Governance and Funding of Schools (February 1996). This has led to an increase in the number of beginner principals in the Cape Town metropolitan area, especially in the former House of Representative schools.