The effectiveness of labour organisation in the management and leadership of schools at Folweni circuit.

Abstract

This study explored the effectiveness of labour organisations in leadership and management of schools at Folweni circuit in Umlazi District, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The main aim of the study was on primary school leadership and management reaction in their attempt to deal with current anomalies in schools within the designated area. The study also assessed the validity of public perceptions that school managers are no longer in command implying that they have been reduced to stooges and ball boys of labour organisations. The study employed an interpretivist paradigm. The aim was to draw insights into the lived experience and subjective meanings of research participants in schools at Folweni Circuit. A qualitative approach was adopted to gain an understanding of the underlying circumstances, opinions and viewpoints of participants who were school principals in the district. In-depth interviews, participant observation and document analysis were employed for the purpose of data collect and thematic analysis was employed to analyse data. The study found that communities are key to the development of school schools. The role of unions in the development of leaders and managers in schools was found to be multifaceted. Also, it was established that labour organisations possess a direct and hefty influence on the leadership and management of schools. Nonetheless, the study established that there is no specific plan in place to enhance the development of leadership by labour organisations. The study concludes that the idea that quality is important equates to the effectiveness of labour organisations in that they perform an instrumental role in ensuring that there is quality in the day to day running of the schools. The fact that they are instrumental in the development of leaders and managers could equally imply that the organisations are immensely effective in ensuring the development of leadership and management in schools. The study recommends that officials and policymakers must develop a fundamental responsibility to induct new principals and develop old guards on issues related to management and leadership.