M.Ed. (Educational Management) / The provision and management of education for Blacks in South Africa is currently a complicated and problematic matter. Of all the challenges which face the Department of Education and Training, it seems the demographic factors create the most problems and offer the greatest challenge. The number of pupils handled by the Department necessitates that the Department reorganise its management system so that a more effective service can be offered. It is especially difficult to plan an action at Head Office and execute it in an isolated location in another province. Service and planning should be closer functionally and thus serious attention should be paid to the decentralisation of as many sections of the Department as possible. Educational Auxiliary Services is a service which represents an integral part of the educational system. It was established to render assistance to educationalists, parents, teachers and others involved on a differentiated and coordinated basis. Since it is impossible for the five specialists of Educational Auxiliary Services at Head Office to be physically present in every region in need of assistance, it is important that serious thought be given to decentralisation of the Service, so that specialist personnel for each component is available in the regions. In the overseas countries decentralisation and centralisation in education is also being considered. The conclusion is, however, that such structural changes in the educational system cannot be separated from a country's political system as it is manifested in the Central Government...

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Development Theory and Policy University of the Witwatersrand 31 March 2015 / The aim of this research was to analyze the restructuring of the post-apartheid South African education system through the decentralization introduced in the South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA). SASA was intended to construct a new education landscape for school governance involving School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and founded on participation and partnership between state, parents, learner, school staff and community. SASA ostensibly bestowed powers upon the SGBs, however this research explores whether the schools used in the study were really empowered by SASA. Two schools were investigated, one in an affluent area and the other in an underprivileged area. The investigation was in context of the impact of decentralisation of service delivery in developing countries, the adoption of SASA and reforms in the education system from apartheid to date. A qualitative methodology was used and analysis of fourteen semi-structured interviews produced four findings. First, the study corroborated others which suggest that neoliberalism is imbedded in South African public schools and that parents have to pay for quality education. Second, the SGB from the Privileged School executed their projects and tasks well as compared to the Underprivileged School, since its SGB involved parents that were professionals, with financial backing and the know how to fund raise so that the school was able to provide resources for the learners. Third, the minimal use of SASA powers was not the sole reason for inequality in educational provision, the study also looked into the apartheid historical past which also contributed to inequality Finally the post-apartheid (Bantu) education system was a contributing factor to the Underprivileged School SGB’s incapability to utilise all its powers in that ‘Bantu education’ had failed to equip parents from underprivileged backgrounds with the knowledge to exercise all the powers granted to them by SASA, in particular, most parent/s from the underprivileged school had not been equipped with professional degrees or acquired significant skills to confidently partake in the SGB. The study concludes that SASA seems to have not fully taken cognisance of the realities of SGBs in the Underprivileged School since it seems likely, based on my single case study, that their members would not be able to fully implement all the powers given to them by SASA, indicating the need for state intervention. / MT2017

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On attaining independence in 1980, Zimbabwe invested heavily in its education system in order to redress the colonial inequalities and to 'grow it's own timber' in terms of the knowledge and skills desperately needed by the new nation. However, 10 years later, the heavy government expenditure on education was no longer sustainable or defensible. The rapid expansion of the education system gave rise to grave concern for economic efficiency. Critics noted the tumbling pass rates and evident decline in the quality of education, with the concomitant high unemployment rates for the school graduates. Furthermore, the highly centralised, top-down system of education governance made it difficult, if not impossible for stakeholders at the various levels of the system to participate effectively in decision-making. In response to these and other pressures, Zimbabwe adopted a decentralised system of school governance. While decentralisation of school governance and school clustering have become internationally acclaimed reforms targeted at improving the quality of educational provision, and are consistent with the notion of good governance, there remain outstanding questions regarding, among other things, how those tasked to implement such reforms understand, experience and respond to them, and the impact this has on the success or failure of these innovations. This inquiry investigates teachers', school heads' and parents' understandings and experiences of, and responses to decentralised school governance in one cluster of five primary schools in the Gutu District of Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe. Through a multi-site case study research design, involving each of the five schools in the cluster as a site, this study utilised triangulation of a questionnaire, interviews, observations and document analyses to investigate three issues: stakeholders' understanding and experiences of, and responses to decentralised school governance; their views regarding their capacity to function effectively in a decentralised school governance system; and their experiences and views of the factors that hinder and/or enable decentralised school governance in the cluster. Informed by three theoretical frameworks, namely the locus of decentralised decision-making power, policy implementation, and educational change, the findings show that decentralised school governance has developed a sense of ownership of schools on the part of stakeholders. However, a number of factors hamper the decentralisation process. These include the rigid national educational regulatory framework, the uneven distribution of power within schools, and the school and community contexts that are not conducive to decentralisation. Findings also suggest that stakeholders feel incapable of functioning effectively in a decentralised school governance system. These findings imply that there is need for capacity building on the part of all stakeholders, as well as research into how clusters can be made more effective. / Theses (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

Before the attainment of independence on 21 March 1990, the people of Namibia were engaged in a protracted struggle against colonialism, racism and apartheid, all of which had denied the majority of the people democracy and development. The people of Namibia therefore did not have power to make decisions on matters that affect their lives and were also not able to determine their own destiny (Ministry of Regional Government and Housing [MoRGH]: 1998:1). After independence, the Namibian government provided for a policy of decentralization under Chapter 12 of the Constitution. After adopting decentralization as state policy in 1996 the government, under the auspices of the Ministry of Regional, Local Government and Housing, embarked upon an implementation process that began in 2003. Education decentralization was included in this process. As my research investigated participants' experience of education decentralization in the Omaheke Region, I conducted an interpretive case study. I employed semi-structured interviews as my main data collection instrument. The quality of my research lies mostly in the authenticity of my thick descriptions where I rely to a large degree on a high ratio of participant to researcher voice. The study has revealed that there is a basic understanding of what education decentralization refers to. Education decentralization is also perceived to provide for the democratization of education through the active participation of all relevant stakeholders - parents, teachers, learners and civil servants - in the education process. However, although there is a basic understanding of what education decentralization entails, there is not necessarily acceptance. The study revealed that many people in Omaheke have reservations about the process of decentralizing education services. Some regard education decentralization as central government "dumping" its responsibility on the Regions. Furthermore, neither the Regional Council, the Regional Education Office, schools, communities nor parents have the capacity to cope with decentralization. The responsibility for overseeing the implementation of decentralization in the Region lies with the Omaheke Regional Council. Education as a decentralized function ought to resort directly under the Regional Council. However, the Regional Education office does not yet operate under the Regional Council. Instead the Education Director continues to report directly to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education in the capital. In this way an important decentralization structure, the Regional Council, is bypassed and rendered toothless. The data reveal that there is only partial evidence of psychological and structural readiness for education decentralization. Consequently there is little meaningful participation and therefore no sense of ownership among parents, teachers, learners, community-based organizations and political leaders.

It is largely believed that decentralisation promotes efficiency in organisations. This paper analyses the challenges facing decentralisation of Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) in the Province of the Eastern Cape. It is demonstrated that the form of decentralisation followed by SETAs in the Province of the Eastern Cape, where constant referral of matters to head offices for decisions and instruction before any action is taken, by them is the biggest challenge. Yet these important institutions are mandated by government to equip South Africans with skills to enable them to succeed in the global market and to offer opportunities to individuals and communities for self advancement and to play a productive role in society are frustrated by unnecessary interference from SETA national offices on their affairs at the provincial government level, which constrains effective decentralisation. However, the objectives of the study are to: - Analyse the challenges of decentralisation by SETAs in the Province of the Eastern Cape; - Provide an overview of the impact of SETA provincial offices on requisite skills in the province; - Investigate the advantages and disadvantages of decentralising SETAs in the provinces. These objectives have been achieved by providing empirical evidence as indicated in chapter four, where it shows that participants believe that decentralisation promotes efficiency and SETAs in the Province of the Eastern Cape are not granted discretionary powers to make decisions a primary reason that leads to delays being experienced. This lack of discretionary power is proof that decision-making is still centralised. The study has the following strategies for the SETAs in the Province of the Eastern Cape to carry out their skills development mandate: - Clear strategic intent about SETA provincial offices; - Sector Skills Plans (SSP) to reflect provincial focus; - Provincial offices to exercise some discretionary powers; - Adequate financial resources; - Skilled workforce. In order to be more effective and efficient, a variety of recommendations to SETAs, with respect to decentralisation of SETAs, were made. It is hoped that these recommendations assist in improvement of the implementation of a decentralisation strategy. More importantly decentralisation of SETAs should allow and enable branch offices to exercise discretionary powers. In addition, they should have adequate financial resources to manage their affairs.

In South Africa, the trend has been towards the decentralising of authority and giving greater powers to schools. This implies the active involvement of the school governing body members, the school management team members and the Level One educators in the day-to-day functioning of the school. Whilst some schools have welcomed this change and seen this devolution of power as an added advantage contributing to the efficacy of schools, some schools have struggled, while others have failed dismally to cope with this added responsibility of managing their own resources. The researcher, being an educator involved in this transition, has been intrigued by the success of some self-managing schools and the failure of others. The following words of Oliver Wendell Holmes have inspired the investigator to conduct this research to ascertain the reasons for the success of certain schools and the failure of others: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Since the performance of schools is normally ranked according to their matriculation pass rates, this research focused on six self-managing schools in the Port Elizabeth District. These schools were selected on the basis of their matriculation performances in 2008. Two of the schools had achieved an above 85 percent matriculation pass rate (Category A); two obtained a 50 percent pass rate (Category B); while the other two schools obtained matriculation pass rates of between 25 percent and 30 percent (Category C). Although the research relied strongly on a qualitative method of inquiry, because of the nature of the data and the need to obtain a better understanding of the feelings, attitude and perceptions of those in management positions, governing body positions and members of the personnel, multiple instruments for data collection such as a literature review and the study of school documents and questionnaires, were used. This inclusion of these multiple instruments for obtaining information, which is also called triangulation, contributed to the reliability and validity of the empirical investigation. Although the data was presented in the form of tables and graphs, vi which alludes to a quantitative approach, a narrative interpretation of the findings, which is associated with a qualitative method of inquiry, was also presented. An analysis of the findings revealed that there was a great amount of involvement of the principals, school management team members and Level One educators in Category A schools, which had a matriculation pass rate of above 85%, in the following change management strategies: the establishment of a vision, planning and organising, teamwork, training and development, communication, praise and incentives, and evaluation and feedback. There was also a great contribution by the school governing body members. However, the study revealed that Category B and Category C schools did not effectively use communication, praise and incentives and evaluation and feedback as change management strategies. It was evident from the empirical investigation that in Category B and C schools, the school governing body members were less, or not involved in the usage of the change management strategies applied. According to the results based on the six-facet model of Emotional Intelligence, Category A schools obtained 80% and above in the competencies relating to the self and social domain. Category B schools fluctuated between 50 percent and 80 percent in both dimensions, while Category C schools fluctuated between 30 percent and 80 percent. The findings suggest that there should be greater involvement of all stakeholders, especially the school governing body members, in the establishment of a vision, planning and organising, communication, teamwork, training and development, praise and incentives and the provision of feedback and evaluation for self-managing schools to become effective and improve their performances. Professional development, especially in the areas pertaining to Emotional Intelligence competencies such as personal and interpersonal skills, should be prioritised. This thesis proposes that, on the basis of the investigation carried out at the six participating schools on the influence of Emotional Intelligence on the change management strategies adopted in self-managing schools, schools use strategies such as the establishment of a vision, planning and organising, communication, teamwork, training and development, praise and incentives and evaluation and feedback to ameliorate the damaging impact of change. There should be continuous training and development at schools, especially for the school governing body members, who are elected every three years. The newly elected school governing body members need to develop the necessary skills to effectively contribute to the efficacy of schools. The human resource is the vital ingredient in schools, thus for any progression or improvement, all stakeholders need to be informed, trained and enriched. Since Emotional Intelligence can be learned, professional development in the area of Emotional Intelligence should be given more thought and included in training courses, focusing on the development of personal and interpersonal skills. The Emotional Intelligence training should be conducted as part of teacher training courses as well as on an annual basis for educators already in the teaching system, since Emotional Intelligence can influence the use of change management strategies at schools and enhance the efficacy of the functioning of self-managing schools.

To effectively and substantively impact the realization of school improvement goals, there is a perceived need for the implementation of participatory processes that involve parents, patrons, students, and educators through decentralization of the planning, programming, and implementation phases. Related to this need is the pressing requirement of providing educational leaders with a greater understanding of what knowledge and skills they should possess to effectively guide and direct the implementation of decentralized participatory processes. An exploratory case study of a nationally recognized middle school's decentralized participatory structure was conducted. The purpose of this study was to provide the comprehensive context of an existing decentralized participatory structure from which needed knowledge and skills could be determined. The likelihood of successfully installing future partnership structures can be increased by providing educational leaders with a description, analysis, and interpretation of participatory involvements. The conclusions for the case study were arrived at through a triangulation approach of key-informant interviewing, participant observation at meetings, and an investigation of essential documents. This researcher concluded that the following skills and knowledge base are important for participatory leaders to possess to successfully implement, direct, and guide a decentralized partnership program: Skills. (1) Group dynamic skills; (2) Human relationship skills; (3) Communication skills; (4) Decision-making skills. Knowledge Base. A participatory leader must possess knowledge of (1) how to positively channel diversity, (2) motivation theory and ways to capitalize on motivation theory, (3) ways to develop participants' capacity to participate effectively, (4) how to effectively facilitate the communication and coordination between and among identifiable groups which interlace with the participatory process, (5) the school effectiveness literature, (6) how to balance high task and high relationship, (7) how people learn most effectively, (8) goal theory and ways to set goals through other people, (9) effective planning procedures, (10) change strategy and how to effectively accomplish goals through other people, (11) the benefits of participatory decision-making, (12) the benefits of decentralization, (13) a range of leadership styles, (14) effective management practices, and (15) how to model a decentralized participatory structure.

The thrust for institutional reform and desire for accountability has caused important changes in school districts across the nation. In many schools, authority is shifting from the central office to the school, and both parents and teachers are assuming more responsibility for making decisions about school matters that are important to them. This process, often called school-based management, has potential for creating an environment that will allow reform and accountability to occur in districts seeking options to top down management. The purpose of this study was to acquire information about professional responsibility and involvement of building-level educators, parents, and community leaders in this reform movement and to provide a picture of school-based management in the public elementary schools of Virginia. The research describes a range of decision making that exists at different administrative levels in Virginia's schools systems and the parameters established for site-based decision making in Virginia's elementary schools. / Ed. D.

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