The experiences of secondary school principals with regard to the implementation of school improvement programmes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of principals in implementing the school improvement programme in rural secondary schools and in improving the quality of education. This study investigates the experiences of principals in both high performing and under performing rural secondary schools with regard to the implementation of the school improvement programme in these schools. The literature study/review presented an exploration of theories, programmes, management, leadership and parental participation. Many historically disadvantaged rural schools in South Africa have found educational changes to be more challenging than affluent schools and have also struggled to maintain such changes. The SGB comprises the principal, teachers, non teaching staff, parents and learners of secondary schools. However, the majority of members on the SGB should be parents. To deal with the complex financial issues and tasks brought on by decentralised school governance and management, SGB members should develop a wide range of knowledge, skills and capacity. In the case of rural schools, governance structures usually comprise people who have limited knowledge and skills to effectively govern schools (Pierre & Mestry, 2019). The theoretical frameworks that informed this study were Epstein‘s theories of overlapping sphere and her typology of parental involvement. These frameworks emerging from the review of literature provided an expressive perspective for the interpretation of data and recommendations in the final chapter of the study. The study used a qualitative methodology approach with a case study research design. This was deemed appropriate, as data was collected through the medium of semi structured individual and focus group interviews with five participants, and data is analysed using content analysis. The findings revealed that in most schools there were not many strategies in place to implement school improvement. In addition, the findings of this study indicate a limited utilisation of teachers' professional development, action research, and school development planning as techniques within school initiatives for enhancing school improvement. The study recommended that the secondary school leadership and management teams, educators, pupils, parents, and the general community must take action on these issues, which include possibilities as well as obstacles.

Maikaelelo a thutopatlisiso eno e ne e le go sekaseka maitemogelo a ditlhogo tsa sekolo mo go tsenyeng tirisong lenaane la tlhabololo ya dikolo mo dikolong tsa sekontari tsa magae le mo go tokafatseng boleng jwa thuto. Phuputso ena e batlisisa liphihlelo tsa baokameli likolong tse mahareng tsa mahaeng tse sa sebetseng hantle le tse sa sebetseng hantle mabapi le ho kengoa tšebetsong ha lenaneo la ntlafatso ea likolo likolong tsena. Boithuto ba lingoliloeng/tlhahlobo e hlahisitse tlhahlobo ea likhopolo, mananeo, tsamaiso, boetapele le ho kenya letsoho ha batsoali. Likolo tse ngata tsa mahaeng tse neng li futsanehile historing tsa Afrika Boroa li fumane liphetoho tsa thuto e le phephetso ho feta likolo tse ruileng ‘me li boetse li sokola ho boloka liphetoho tse joalo. SGB e na le mosuoe-hlooho, matichere, basebetsi bao e seng baruti, batsoali le baithuti ba likolo tse mahareng. Leha ho le joalo, boholo ba litho tsa SGB e lokela ho ba batsoali. Ho sebetsana le litaba tse rarahaneng tsa lichelete le mesebetsi e tlisoang ke taolo le taolo ea likolo tse arotsoeng, litho tsa SGB li lokela ho hlahisa mefuta e mengata e fapaneng ea tsebo, litsebo le bokhoni. Tabeng ea likolo tsa mahaeng, mekhatlo ea puso hangata e kenyelletsa batho ba nang le tsebo le tsebo e fokolang ea ho laola likolo ka katleho (Pierre & Mestry, 2019). Mekhahlelo ea khopolo-taba e tsebisitseng thuto ena e ne e le likhopolo tsa Epstein tsa sebaka se pota-potileng le mofuta oa hae oa ho kenya letsoho ha batsoali. Merero ena e hlahang tlhahlobisong ea lingoliloeng e fane ka pono e hlakileng bakeng sa tlhaloso ea lintlha le likhothaletso khaolong ea ho qetela ea thuto. Phuputso e sebelisitse mokhoa oa boleng ba mokhoa o nang le moralo oa lipatlisiso tsa boithuto. Sena se ile sa nkoa se nepahetse, kaha lintlha li ile tsa bokelloa ka lipuisano tsa batho ka bomong le lihlopha tse tsepamisisang maikutlo le barupeluoa ba bahlano, 'me boitsebiso bo hlahlojoa ho sebelisoa tlhahlobo ea litaba. Liphuputso li senotse hore likolong tse ngata ho ne ho se na maano a mangata a teng a ho phethahatsa ntlafatso ea sekolo. Ho feta moo, liphuputso tsa phuputso ena li bonts'a tšebeliso e fokolang ea nts'etsopele ea profeshenale ea matichere, lipatlisiso tsa ts'ebetso, le moralo oa nts'etsopele ea sekolo e le mekhoa ea boikitlaetso ba sekolo bakeng sa ho ntlafatsa ntlafatso ea sekolo. Boithuto bona bo khothalelitse hore lihlopha tsa boetapele le botsamaisi ba likolo tse mahareng, barupeli, bana, batsoali le sechaba ka kakaretso ba nke khato litabeng tsena, tse kenyeletsang menyetla le litšitiso.

Inhloso yalolu cwaningo bekuwukuhlola amava othishanhloko ekuqaliseni uhlelo lokuthuthukisa izikole ezikoleni zamabanga aphezulu zasemakhaya kanye nasekuthuthukiseni izinga lemfundo. Lolu cwaningo luphenya ngamava othishanhloko kuzo zombili izikole zasemakhaya ezingenzi kahle nezingenzi kahle mayelana nokuqaliswa kohlelo lokuthuthukisa izikole kulezi zikole. Ucwaningo/ukubuyekezwa kwemibhalo yethule ukuhlola kwemibono, izinhlelo, abaphathi, ubuholi kanye nokubamba iqhaza kwabazali. Izikole eziningi zasemakhaya ebezincishwe amathuba phambilini eNingizimu Afrika zithole ukuthi izinguquko zemfundo ziyinselele kunezikole ezidla izambane likapondo futhi zithwale kanzima ukugcina lolu shintsho. I-SGB ihlanganisa uthishanhloko, othisha, abasebenzi abangafundisi, abazali nabafundi bezikole zamabanga aphezulu. Nokho, iningi lamalungu ku-SGB kufanele kube abazali. Ukubhekana nezinkinga zezezimali eziyinkimbinkimbi kanye nemisebenzi elethwa ukubusa nokuphathwa kwezikole, amalungu e-SGB kufanele athuthukise ulwazi olubanzi, amakhono kanye namandla. Endabeni yezikole zasemakhaya, izinhlaka zokubusa ngokuvamile zihlanganisa abantu abanolwazi olulinganiselwe namakhono okuphatha izikole ngempumelelo (Pierre & Mestry, 2019). Izinhlaka zetiyori ezazisa lolu cwaningo kwakuyithiyori ka-Epstein ye-sphere eyeqanayo kanye nohlobo lwakhe lokubandakanyeka kwabazali. Lezi zinhlaka ezivela ekubuyekezweni kwezincwadi zinikeze umbono ocacile wokuchazwa kwedatha nezincomo esahlukweni sokugcina socwaningo. Ucwaningo lusebenzise indlela yekhwalithethivu enomklamo wocwaningo lwecala. Lokhu kubonwe kufaneleka, njengoba idatha yaqoqwa kusetshenziswa inhlolokhono yomuntu ngamunye engahlelekile neyeqembu okugxilwe kuyo nabahlanganyeli abahlanu, futhi idatha ihlaziywa kusetshenziswa ukuhlaziya okuqukethwe. Okutholakele kuveze ukuthi ezikoleni eziningi awekho maningi amaqhinga akhona okuthuthukisa izikole. Ukwengeza, okutholwe kulolu cwaningo kubonisa ukusetshenziswa okulinganiselwe kokuthuthukiswa kochwepheshe kothisha, ucwaningo lwezenzo, kanye nokuhlelwa kokuthuthukiswa kwesikole njengamasu phakathi kwezinhlelo zesikole zokuthuthukisa ukuthuthukiswa kwesikole. Lolu cwaningo luncome ukuthi ubuholi nabaphathi bezikole zamabanga aphezulu, othisha, abafundi, abazali kanye nomphakathi jikelele kumele bathathe izinyathelo ngalezi zinkinga, ezihlanganisa okungenzeka kanjalo nezithiyo.