A critical assessment of the current selection procedures for secondary principals in Kwazulu-Natal.

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that effective schools owe much of their success to the calibre of their principals. Notwithstanding the central role played by these executive officers, very little attention has been given to the selection of secondary school principals internationally and more so in South Africa. The South African education system has recently undergone a not so silent revolution and all former departments of education have combined. The national Department of Education determines policy and local education is administered by provincial authorities. The State's policy of transformation, which is being implemented in all public schools, is bringing about many changes in schools and these have to be satisfactorily managed. Because of the complexity of the school as an organisation, the principal is subjected to changing demands especially in respect of his/her management tasks. Despite these changes requiring a new style of school management, the selection of secondary principals has, up till very recently, been done in a fairly arbitrary manner. Consequently, this project involves an assessment of the current selection procedures for secondary public school principals in KwaZulu-Natal. While it is accepted the selection procedure is relatively new and still evolving, it is hoped that this project will alert educational authorities to the salient weaknesses of the selection procedure and offer recommendations for its improvement.