The involvement of teacher unions in the selection process of school principals in Johannesburg Central Region of Gauteng

Abstract

The study explored the involvement of teacher unions in the selection process of school principals in Johannesburg Central Region. It was conducted in pursuit of reality from stakeholders involved in the appointment processes in order to get their views and experiences on the issue of the involvement of teacher unions in the selection processes of principals. This was a qualitative study based on the phenomenological design. It was conducted in two schools. A total of eight participants were purposefully sampled: two principals, two SGB representatives and four teacher unions’ representatives. The data were collected using individual interviews. Four themes emerged from the data in this study. The findings revealed that there is subjectivity and unfairness in the selection processes of principals. The Department of Education ought to review the involvement of teacher unions in the appointment of principals to public schools.