Leadership approaches adopted by district officials and their effect on the management of schools – a case study of secondary schools in Kwazulu-Natal.

Abstract

Districts officials have a central role in the educational sector as they are seen as intermediaries between the national and provincial education departments and local schools. Their leadership role encompasses enhancing school functionality by collaborating and providing support to schools. Additionally, their roles extend to being implementers of policies, developing and empowering SMTs and driving transformation within the district. District officials play a pivotal role in education, however, the leadership approaches adopted by district officials and how their leadership is cascaded to school level is under-researched. Therefore, this study aims to explore the leadership approaches adopted by district officials and the effect of these approaches on the management of schools. The study covers the leadership approaches, the effect of these approaches on how schools are managed, and the required improvement of district officials’ leadership to positively affect the management of schools. This study is underpinned by the Transformational Leadership Theory. This study utilises qualitative research and operates within the interpretivist paradigm, making use of case study research. Three secondary schools were identified in the iLembe District of KwaZulu-Natal. Purposive and convenience sampling was employed to select nine participants comprising of three principals and six Departmental Heads. Data was generated through semi-structured interviews. Both the inductive and deductive approach to data analysis was used. The findings showed that district officials adopt various leadership approaches inclusive of policy-driven, instructional, supportive, and collaborative leadership approaches, which affects the work of school management. The findings further revealed that the leadership approaches utilised by district officials enhance accountability, discipline, instruction, capacity building and communication in schools. To strengthen district leadership, it was revealed that districts need to establish better support systems, develop, and enhance human relation skills and respond to specific school contexts. Overall, the study highlights the significant influence district officials have on SMTs and school operations. The insights gained may assist district officials in reflecting on and refining their leadership practices to contribute to school management and thebroader education system more positively.