Dissertation / The aim of the study was to investigate the appointment process of education managers and the consequences of this for schools. A literature study was conducted on these two aspects. This was followed by a survey involving 67 educators from three geographically divergent secondary schools in Kwa-Zulu Natal, namely an urban, rural and peri-urban school. The respondents’ views indicate flaws in the current system related to: the minimum requirements for principalship, the shortlisting and interview processes and the role of bias in the selection of candidates. Respondents also believed that insufficient attention was paid to induction and mentorship programmes. The before mentioned impacted negatively on the school’s functionality regarding quality assurance, inter-personal relations, decision-making, parental involvement and learner discipline. These relate to low educator morale. The findings of the study indicate that the current system of educator promotions needs to revised so as to improve best practice in the profession.

Dissertation / The aim of the study was to investigate the appointment process of education managers and the consequences of this for schools. A literature study was conducted on these two aspects. This was followed by a survey involving 67 educators from three geographically divergent secondary schools in Kwa-Zulu Natal, namely an urban, rural and peri-urban school. The respondents’ views indicate flaws in the current system related to: the minimum requirements for principalship, the shortlisting and interview processes and the role of bias in the selection of candidates. Respondents also believed that insufficient attention was paid to induction and mentorship programmes. The before mentioned impacted negatively on the school’s functionality regarding quality assurance, inter-personal relations, decision-making, parental involvement and learner discipline. These relate to low educator morale. The findings of the study indicate that the current system of educator promotions needs to revised so as to improve best practice in the profession.