An exploration of staff development team's promotion of quality education within the context of integrated quality management system.
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Date
2012
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the Staff Development Team’s (SDT)
promotion of quality education within the context of Integrated Quality Management
System. The study explored aspects that the SDT does to promote quality education,
processes by which the SDT engages itself in to promote quality education and the
reasons why the SDT promotes quality education. Provision of quality education in
South Africa passed different stages that eventually culminated in Integrated Quality
Management System being gazetted in 2003. With this instrument in place, the
Department of Education (DoE) hoped schools, in particular and the Education
Department in general, would perform well. Mixed responses from the respondents
reflected that there are numerous factors that hamper the implementation of IQMS.
These factors range from inadequate training of teachers for IQMS, scanty meetings in
which discussions about IQMS are held, lack of involvement of all teachers in the
school on issues related to IQMS, implementation of many quality education
improvement strategies by the DoE within a short period of time and fear by teachers
of being evaluated.
The main findings showed that there is a dire need for teachers to be retrained on
IQMS and frequent holding of IQMS related meetings. The main findings also revealed
that the monetary component of IQMS, namely, pay progression, is a cause for concern
in that it compels teachers to be dishonest in evaluating one another. This suggests that
if IQMS is to be successful, the pay progression component should be divorced from it
(IQMS). The study recommends that there should be regular meeting for IQMS at
school so as to bring every teacher on board about IQMS. The study further
recommends that although it is good to learn from other countries, but the context
should be taken into consideration if a new strategy has been copied from other
countries because what is good for one country may not be good for another country.
Finally, the study recommends that while counter opinions always exist when a new
initiative is being implemented, steadfastness should be upheld and adherence to the
policy will ensure the realisation of its (policy) intended aim.
Description
Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2012.
Keywords
School management teams., School management and organization., Teachers--Training of., Career development., Effective teaching., Theses--Education.