Decision making is a key function of leadership. During Apartheid rule in South Africa, decision making in schools was determined at the national level. A principal’s role was to implement those decisions. Post 1994, decision making has been decentralised and more participation and involvement of teachers, heads of department, deputy principals, principals and parents is encouraged in schools. The purpose of this study was to find out more about the role that the principal and deputy principal of a school play in decision making in a school, particularly rural schools, in this, the democratic era in which we all now live. To achieve this aim, this research was conducted in the Umzimkulu district in KwaZulu-Natal in three schools, all in deep rural areas but selected for their accessibility to the school at which I work which is also situated in a remote rural area. From each school three participants were selected i.e. the principal, deputy principal and one Post Level one educator. This study was conducted within the interpretive paradigm and was qualitative in nature. Thus, to collect data, semi-structured interviews were the primary source. However, observations of one staff meeting per school were also conducted, and document analysis of minute books from previous staff meetings was undertaken to ensure an important level of trustworthiness of the data. No attempt has been made to generalise the findings as the participants were very few, but as under-resourced schools in remote areas constitute the majority of schools in this country, I believe that the study is warranted and that the findings have relevance for more schools than those in which the research was conducted. The theoretical framework for this study is that of distributed leadership which considers the expertise of all stakeholders i.e. teachers, heads of department, deputy principals, principals, parents and learners, within a school, irrespective of the formal position or role they hold. This theory is characterised as a form of collective leadership in which all the stakeholders work together and learn from one another. This ensures participation of all the stakeholders in decision making. The key findings of the study are that: a) there is variation in the degree to which principals and deputy principals share decision making; b) that educators are given greater opportunities to make autonomous decisions in extra mural activities and mundane aspects of school life, than they are around key policy areas; c) that hierarchical structures are still noticeable in all 3 schools in the study; and d) that the three most significant barriers to distributed leadership, v at least in the schools in this study, are: (i) the traditional belief that says the principal is ‘the boss’ of the school; (ii) the lack of trust by a principal in her/his staff to make and carry out decisions responsibly; and (iii) the sense of accountability a principal holds in terms of constructing her/himself as the only one who will be cross-questioned by the departmental officials if something goes wrong in the school. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The School Management Teams (SMTs) in South African schools hold formal positions of leadership within the school's organizational structure. Because of this, the SMTs carry the responsibility of ensuring that leadership is distributed to other colleagues irrespective of status or authority in the hierarchy. On the other hand, level one educators do not hold any formal leadership position, yet the Norms and Standards for Educators (2000) expects teachers to take on leadership roles, among others, that of a leader, manager and administrator. The aim of this study was to explore the roles of the SMTs in developing teacher leadership in their schools, and to examine how the SMTs and teachers understood and enabled teacher leadership. This study was conducted in two primary schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and was qualitative in nature. The study used different data collection techniques, that is, the semi-structured interviews with the SMT members at both schools and focus group interviews with all level one educators at both schools. The findings of this study indicated that it is true that the concept of teacher leadership is relatively new to the majority of researchers and educators in South Africa. The concept was also understood differently by different educators and the concept was associated in the first school with a discourse of delegated leadership as opposed to distributed leadership. In this school the SMT delegated unwanted duties to teachers, not with the aim of developing teachers as leaders, but with the intention of getting administrative assistance for technical and mundane tasks. Findings in the second school revealed that although the participants understood the concept in diverse ways, teacher leadership was indeed happening. In this school it was clear that although educators were not familiar with the concept, teacher leadership was happening within a context of dispersed distributive leadership. Using Grant's (2007) model of teacher leadership, in the first school in this study teacher leadership was restricted to Zone One where the teacher is only concerned with what is happening in his or her classroom. In the second school teacher leadership was understood to operate in Zone One, within the classroom but also operated within Zones Two, Three and Four as well. Policy silence on the roles of the SMTs in developing teachers as leaders was also evident from the responses of the SMT members at both schools. The issue of training of SMT members and teachers on the areas in which teachers want to become leaders and the lack of support programmes for teacher leadership was evident in this research study. Recommendations include the need to move away from the traditional way of thinking about leadership as a one-man task and realize that leadership should be distributed to other colleagues in order to develop them as leaders. By so doing, teachers in their schools can develop a sense of ownership since they will be working collegially and collaboratively towards whole school effectiveness and school improvement. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

The study explores communication links existing in the management of primary schools in Lesotho. The frequency of the links as well as the content and channels used in the transmission of messages between the principals, advisory school committees and management committees were investigated. The Lesotho primary education management system involves the principals, advisory school committees and management committees. Management committees in Lesotho manage all primary schools under their jurisdiction. Principals manage schools on daily basis on behalf of the management committees. Advisory school committees advise the management committees on all matters relating to education. Questionnaires, interviews and school record books were the research tools used in this study. The responses revealed that links exist between the above bodies even though the links are inadequate in most instances. The way through which messages are sent vary from link to link but most of the links are in the form of meetings. These meetings are often below the stipulated number in the country's Education Act. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 2002.

In ensuring a sound culture of teaching and learning various stakeholders in education have emphasised school effectiveness. Schools in achieving and maintaining effectiveness, require optimum levels of commitment and performance from the educators. Therefore, it is an essential task of the school managers to ensure that educators are performing at their optimum levels. "Underpinning this notion of affecting and improving the performance capability of individuals is the concept of motivation" (Middlewood and Lumby, 1998:21). It is with this in mind that the researcher, conducting a case study, aimed at identifying factors associated with the motivation of primary school educators in Isipingo, Phumelela Circuit, EThekwini Region. Through the process of random sampling 5 schools, in Isipingo, were selected. All the principals and Level One educators employed by the Department of Education were targeted for this study. Questionnaires directed at the principals and educators as well as focus group interviews with the educators, formed the research instruments for this study. The study revealed that 60.2% of the educator sample was motivated. These educators claimed that they were generally motivated by the team spirit and the 'togetherness' amongst staff members at their schools. These educators placed a high premium on positive human relations as well as their interaction and love for children and teaching. Other factors associated with the motivation of these educators included being recognised and appreciated for their efforts, increased responsibilities, professional autonomy and the open door policy that some school managers employed. Educators felt strongly that school managers should play fundamental roles in motivating them in their work. The study also revealed that although the school managers were employing some motivation strategies based on the general needs of their educators, emphasis should be on analysing the educators' individual work related needs. / Theses (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

This thesis explored the experiences of five principals enrolled on the Advanced Certificate in Education: School Leadership henceforth referred to as ACESL, and their reflection on the programme in relation to their professional practice. The ACESL is a professional qualification programme that is currently funded by the Department of Education through a number of service providers. The paucity of research on the influence of management development programmes on the professional practice of principals formed the background to this study. In 1996, the Department of Education set up a Task Team to explore possibilities of such management development. The purpose of the programme was to provide structured learning opportunities that promote quality education in South Africa through the development of a corps of education leaders who apply critical understanding, values, knowledge and skills to school leadership and management within the vision of democratic transformation. This purpose points to the pivotal role of education leadership and management in transforming schools in South Africa. This research attempted to address this gap in knowledge by examining the experiences and reflections of principals on the ACESL programme and it also explored the influence of this programme on their professional practice. The study focussed on the subjective experiences of principals on the ACESL programme. This being the case, this research was located in an interpretivist, qualitative paradigm. The central intention of the interpretivist paradigm is to understand the subjective world of human experience. The findings of the research suggest that the experiences of the principals on the ACESL are largely positive. Some elements of the programme did give rise to negative experiences. The principals were unanimous in articulating the positive effect of the programme on their professional practice. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

This study is an investigation into how systems thinking was used in a school improvement initiative, which involved the implementation of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in a ward with twenty-two schools. The Superintendent of Education Management (SEM), as the practitioner, initiated the study in the form of an action research, using the soft systems methodology (SSM). The preference of the SSM was justified for its suitability to explore problem contexts of a pluralist complex nature. The School Development Team (SDT) Chairpersons were the participants that went through the learning process and provided insights from their worldviews and experiences as the leaders tasked with bringing about the requisite transformation and guidance aimed at the professional development of educators, their performance measurement and whole school evaluation. The reflective study interrogates the worldviews, perspectives, attitudes and values of the participants, promotes the use of systems tools and techniques and leads to the development of conceptual models which might constructively enhance school reform. The findings of this study highlight educators’ ability to engage in reflective activities and self-directed explorations, shared experience of educators learning to learn together and continuous professional development. The reflective educators learn to recall, consider and evaluate experiences in relation to a broader educational purpose. The study explores the possibility of using the IQMS systemically in action as leverage to enhance school improvement and bring about positive change in educator accountability. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is an industrial or manufacturing theory that has greatly assisted business to transform to become more competitive in the global market. The South African public education system is currently facing various challenges and obstacles that must be overcome in order to cater for the demands of the 21 51 century. Much of the focus thus far has been on addressing the imbalances and inequities of the past. Now that the battle for equality is slowly being won, the focus is changing to quality in education provision. Total Quality Management offers an opportunity to attain quality in the education sector. Many writers abroad have adapted the principles of TQM to the education environment. Case studies in the United States of America and United Kingdom in particular, point to the success of TQM. Given the South African education scenario, this study explores the scope and applicability of Total Quality Management to the South African public schooling system. In February 2000, President Thabo Mbeki expressed the need to pay special attention to the improvement of the quality of management of our schools. The practice of TQM offers an opportunity to improve the quality of management in our schools. In addition, there has been much discussion and debate around whether schools are preparing learners for the real world. It is the express desire of the Minister of Education, Professor Kader Asmal, to create an education system for the 21 51 century. One of the cardinal principles of TQM is giving the customer what the customer needs- the customer in this case being the learner, the parent, tertiary institutions, commerce and industry and society at large. Currently there is ample evidence to suggest that there is a huge gap between what society expects and what schools and tertiary institutions are providing. Today, it is becoming increasingly evident that customer choice and customer perception of quality is of paramount importance. Therefore, schools that can offer quality in terms of product and customer service will survive and prosper. TQM is about meeting and exceeding customer expectations of service. There is ample evidence to suggest that TQM has carried the burden of being responsible in many cases for improving quality and productivity. Schools are constantly faced with rising costs. Parents are being called upon to pay increasingly more for the education of their children. Schools are constantly searching for innovative ways of cutting costs without compromising quality. TQM helps to systematically identify sources of error, and eradicate costly waste. This study explores whether TQM can do for the public schooling system what it has done for business. The scope and applicability of TQM to the public schooling system is investigated through carefully structured questionnaires administered to school-based personnel at different ranks, working in rural and urban schools, as well as ' advantaged' and 'disadvantaged' schools. In addition, chairpersons of school governing bodies/members and departmental officials are interviewed. The research carefully examines the many concerns around implementing TQM in public schools. There is concern that the principles of industry would not find favour in an education environment. A business-like approach to education may result in many meaningful aspects of schools and schooling being compromised or lost. The study ascertains whether some of the basic ingredients for quality management are present in our schools. Despite certain concerns, the majority were optimistic that TQM can be implemented. The conclusions arrived at and the recommendations made indicate that the theory, principles and practices of TQM can be adapted and applied to the South African schooling system. The argument that the vast backlogs in education do not favour the application of quality management in education is challenged. It is concluded that TQM offers the best possible opportunity to address inferior quality learning in certain quarters. Based on the success stories, a carefully structured implementation plan for TQM is suggested. Applying TQM will ensure a high quality public education. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2003.