Collegial management in Gcewu Secondary School, KwaZulu-Natal : an investigation with particular reference to staff perceptions.

Abstract

The South African Schools Act No. 84 of 1996 and the report of the Task Team on Education Management Development (Department of Education, 1996), proposed greater involvement of major stakeholders, in particular the educators, in decision-making processes in educational institutions. This opened a new chapter of a major transformational shift from an authoritarian and bureaucratic style of management to a democratic and participative management style. The purpose of this research was to investigate, largely through the perceptions of staff, the extent to which the management of Gcewu Secondary School may be characterised as "collegial" and, as necessary, to make practical recommendations as to how the management arrangements of the school may be modified or enhanced to promote collegiality. The questionnaires and interviews were sued as the research instruments for this study. This study was conducted at Gcewu Secondary School at Umbumbulu District, Durban South Region. The main findings that emerged from the study were as follows: * The educators regard the decision made about the management of the school as directly affecting them. * Educators were not adequately involved in decision-making. * Educators were keen in participating in decision-making but the principal was not willing to share power with them (post level 1 educators).