Managing change in schools of the Kavango region in Namibia

Abstract

In the first chapter the author outlined the context of the study, the overview, terminology and the research aims, as well as research questions. The purpose of the study was to explore the management of change in schools of the Kavango region in Namibia. It aimed to determine the guidelines, factors that influence change, the role of the principals in managing change and strategies used to train school managers to cope with new demands and changes. The literature reviews, in Chapter 2, address the theories of change management. They further outline the role and successes of school principals in managing change. The literature revealed a lack of information-sharing and skill amongst staff members in general, and principals in particular. The description of the methodology in Chapter 3 addresses how the research questions were approached using purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews as part of an interpretive approach. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken from which important recurring concepts were derived. This process continued during data collection. The findings from the data analysis in terms of twelve themes (cf. 4.4) which were composed by grouping together related concepts are presented and described in Chapter 4. Findings showed that participating principals lack skills in managing change, but it appears that there is potential for improvement if they are trained to understand the management of change and leadership theories. A summary of the main findings of the study is found in Chapter 5, together with conclusions and recommendations. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are also addressed. An analysis of the study indicated that there is lack of support, monitoring and coordination of the management of change programmes at the regional level. Reference was made to leadership and management programmes such as the Education and Training Sector for Implementation Programme [ETSIP] initiated by the Ministry of Education [MoE] to assist principals. The findings suggest that programmes petered out because follow-up was limited.