Exploring instructional leadership practices of School Management Teams in underperforming secondary schools in the Umlazi District

Abstract

The study focused on exploring the instructional leadership practices of School Management Teams (SMTs) in three underperforming secondary schools in the Umlazi District in KwaZulu-Natal that attained an overall pass rate of below 60% in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination over a period of three consecutive years, namely, 2019-2021. Furthermore, the study explored the extent to which SMT members enact instructional leadership through collaborative efforts as a team in their endeavours to improve learner academic performance. The theoretical framework of the study is underpinned by an extended model of instructional leadership derived from Weber’s (1996) model of instructional leadership and elaborating on Hallinger’s (2007) notion of shared instructional leadership with reference to continued discussion of this in the literature. The methodological approach of the study was underpinned by the constructivist paradigm and employed a qualitative research design via a multiple case study. Data were gathered by semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample of nine SMT members comprising of Heads of Departments (HODs), deputy principals (DPs) and principals from the three selected schools, and a document review. Findings indicated that although SMTs are aware of their instructional leadership responsibilities of managing the curriculum and instructional activities, the managerial and administrative overload they experience creates a challenging context. All three schools were fraught with various factors that impacted negatively on SMTs’ instructional leadership practices; however, most SMT members’ responses, as solicited in the study, signified a shared vision to improve learner academic performances through the planned interventions, as stipulated in their School Improvement Plan (SIP). The study revealed that the SMT members conveyed different perceptions of their roles in relation to each other, but they recognised the potential for shared instructional leadership to ease their workload through the distributed approach of instructional activities. However, they felt that the Department of Basic Education’s (2016) Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM) document, which contains their main job descriptions, did not make sufficient provision for this. The main recommendation offered was that, besides the instructional leadership of the SMT, leadership tasks should be shared and distributed to educators and the School Governing Body (SGB).

Lolu cwaningo belugxile ekuhloleni izindlela zokufundisa ubuholi bamaThimba Abaphathi Bezikole ezikoleni zamabanga aphezulu ezintathu ezingenzi kahle esiFundeni saseMlazi KwaZulu-Natal ezithole izinga lokuphasa elingaphansi kwama-60% ezivivinyweni zeNational Senior Certificate (NSC). isikhathi seminyaka emithathu ilandelana, okungunyaka wezi-, 2019 ukuya kowezi-2021. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ucwaningo luhlole izinga amalungu eThimba Labaphathi Bezikole elisebenzisa ngalo ubuholi bokufundisa ngemizamo yokubambisana njengeqembu emizamweni yabo yokuthuthukisa ukusebenza kwabafundi ezifundweni. Uhlaka lwethiyori yocwaningo lusekelwe imodeli eyandisiwe yobuholi bokufundisa obususelwe kumodeli ka-Weber (1996) yobuholi bokufundisa futhi echaza ngombono ka-Hallinger (2007) wobuholi bokufundisa okwabiwe ngokubhekiselwe engxoxweni eqhubekayo yalokhu ezincwadini. Indlela yokwenza yocwaningo isekelwe eiparadimu yobuchwepheshe besitayela lapho izinto eziwumshini zihlanganiswa zibe amafomu eselula kuyisifinqo futhi yasebenzisa umklamo wocwaningo lwekhwalithi noma lesimo ngokusebenzisa ucwaningo lwezigameko eziningi. Idatha yaqoqwa ngenhlolokhono ezihleliwe ngokungagcwele ngesampula enenjongo yamalungu ayisishiyagalolunye yeThimba Labaphathi Bezikole ahlanganisa iziNhloko zeMinyango, amaphini othishanhloko nothishanhloko bezikole ezintathu ezikhethiwe, kanye nokubuyekezwa kombhalo. Okutholakele kubonise ukuthi nakuba iThimba Labaphathi Bezikole bazi ngezibopho zabo zobuholi bokufundisa zokuphatha ikharikhulamu nemisebenzi yokufundisa, umthwalo omningi wokuphatha kanye nokubhekwa okuhlobene nokuqhutshwa kwezikole, ababhekana nakho kudala umongo oyizinselele. Zontathu izikole bezigcwele izici ezahlukahlukene ezibe nomthelela omubi ezinkambisweni zobuholi bokufundisa beThimba Labaphathi Bezikole; kodwa-ke, izimpendulo zamalungu amaningi eThimba Labaphathi Bezikole, njengoba ziceliwe ocwaningweni, zibonise umbono owabiwe wokuthuthukisa ukusebenza kwabafundi ezifundweni ngokungenelela okuhleliwe, njengoba kubekwe oHlelweni Lwabo Lokuthuthukisa Isikole (HLL).Ucwaningo lwaveza ukuthi amalungu eThimba Labaphathi Bezikole adlulisa imibono eyahlukene ngezindima zawo maqondana nomunye kuya komunye, kodwa abona amandla okuba nobuholi bokufundisa okwabelwana ngabo ukuze kudambise umsebenzi wawo ngokusebenzisa indlela esabalalisiwe yemisebenzi yokufundisa. Kodwa-ke, babone sengathi umqulu woMnyango Wezemfundo Eyisisekelo (2016) Izinyathelo Zokuphatha Zabasebenzi (IZZ), oqukethe izincazelo zawo ezisemqoka zomsebenzi, awuzange uhlinzekele lokhu. Isincomo esikhulu esanikezwa sasiwukuthi, ngaphandle kobuholi bokufundisa beThimba Labaphathi Bezikole, imisebenzi yobuholi kufanele yabelwane futhi yabelwe othisha kanye neSigungu Esilawula Isikole (SEI).

Thutopatlisiso e ne e totile go tlhotlhomisa ditiragatso tsa boeteledipele jwa thuto jwa Ditlhopha tsa Botsamaisi jwa Sekolo (diSMT) kwa dikolong tse tharo tse di sa diragatseng sentle kwa Kgaolong ya Umlazi kwa KwaZulu-Natal, tse di fitlheletseng seelo sa phalolo se se kwa tlase ga 60% mo ditlhatlhobong tsa Setifikeiti se Segolwane sa Bosetšhaba (NSC) mo pakeng ya dingwaga tse tharo tse di tlhomaganeng, e leng, 2019-2021. Mo godimo ga moo, thutopatlisiso e tlhotlhomisitse ka moo ditokololo tsa SMT di diragatsang boeteledipele jwa go ruta ka maiteko a tirisanommogo jaaka setlhopha mo maitekong a tsona a go tokafatsa tiragatso ya dithuto ya barutwana. Letlhomeso la tiori la thutopatlisiso le theilwe mo sekaong se se atolositsweng sa boeteledipele jwa go ruta se se tswang mo sekaong sa ga Weber (1996) sa boeteledipele jwa go ruta mme se tlhalosa ntlha ya ga Hallinger (2007) ya boeteledipele jo bo tlhakanetsweng jwa go ruta go lebeletswe go tswelela pele go tlhalosa seno mo dikwalong. Molebo wa mokgwatiriso wa thutopatlisiso o ne o theilwe mo molebong wa kago mme o dirisitse thadiso ya patlisiso e e lebelelang mabaka ka thutopatlisiso ya dikgetsi tse pedi gongwe go feta. Go kokoantswe data ka tiriso ya dipotsolotso tse di batlileng di rulagane ka sampole e e tserweng go ya ka dintlhatheo le maikemisetso a thutopatlisiso ya ditokololo tse robongwe tsa SMT tse di akareditseng Ditlhogo tsa Mafapha (diHOD), bathusabagoko (diDP) le bagokgo go tswa kwa dikolong tse tharo tse di tlhophilweng, gammogo le tshekatsheko ya dikwalo. Diphitlhelelo di bontshitse gore le fa diSMT di itse maikarabelo a tsona a boeteledipele jwa go ruta a go tsamaisa kharikhulamo le ditiragatso tsa go ruta, go imelwa ke maikarabelo a botsamaisi le tsamaiso ka kakaretso go baka dikgwetlho. Dikolo tsotlhe ka boraro di aparetswe ke dintlha tse di farologaneng tse di amang ditiragatso tsa boeteledipele jwa go ruta jwa diSMT; fela ditsibogo tsa bontsi jwa ditokololo tsa SMT tse di bonweng mo thutopatlisisong di bontshitse ponelopele e e tlhakanetsweng ya go tokafatsa tiragatso ya barutwana ya thuto ka ditsereganyo tse di rulagantsweng, jaaka di tlhagisitswe mo Thulaganyong ya tsona ya Tokafatso ya Sekolo (SIP). Thutopatlisiso e senotse gore ditokololo tsa SMT di tlhagisitse megopolo e e farologaneng ya seabe sa tsona, fela di lemogile kgonagalo e e ka nnang teng fa go abelanwa boeteledipele jwa go ruta go fokotsa mokgweleo wa tiro ka mogopolo wa go phatlalatsa ditiragatso tsa go ruta. Fela, di bona e kete lekwalo la Lefapha la Thuto ya Motheo la Dikgato tsa Tsamaiso ya Badiri (2016), le le nang le ditlhaloso tsa ditiro tsa tsona tota, ga le a dira tlamelo e e lekaneng ya seno. Katlenegiso e kgolo e e dirilweng ke gore, kwa ntle ga boeteledipele jwa go ruta jwa SMT, ditiro tsa boeteledipele di tshwanetse go amoganwa le go phatlaladiwa mo barutabaneng le Lekgotlataolo la Sekolo (SGB).