An evaluation of teachers perceptions about the effects of the South African high school curriculum on the development of leadership skills in female high school leavers.

Abstract

The business world is evolving and there is increasing pressure and competition to change with the times and prepare school leavers especially female high school leavers to be able to fit into the business world where leadership skills are involved. Globally it seems that women are doing well and are on par with their male counterparts but in the developing countries such as South Africa especially with its apartheid history, woman are still lagging behind. The aim of this study was to evaluate teachers’ perceptions concerning the impact of leadership skills development in the South African High School curriculum on female high school leavers. A purposeful sampling of 20 teachers was drawn from a high school in Inanda, with 10,032 inhabitants. Data was collected using a questionnaire designed by the investigator for this study. Statistical analysis found a number of noteworthy associations amongst gender and feelings of development of leadership skills to female high school leavers. Noticeable was the anticipation that the views of the male teachers would differ to those of the female teachers regarding the facilitation, development and provision of leadership roles for female high school leavers. However, this was not the case. The results showed that the female and male teachers were in agreement with each other regarding the existence of formal systems that encourage leadership behaviour in female high school leavers. The study also exposed that the South African Government still has a lot of improvements to do in terms of leadership skills transfer to female high school leavers. The current feeling is that leadership transfer skills to female high school leavers is not being prioritized. The recommendation is that the government should be at the forefront and ensure compliance and involve the teachers in the design of the high school curriculum. The relevant stakeholders such as the government, school leadership, teachers, school governing body, labour unions, parents and students should work together to support the transfer of leadership skills to female high school leavers and create a school environment with a culture of a learning environment to prepare learners for the ever evolving business world. The study will benefit the relevant stakeholders as listed above to identify loopholes and work together to create a school environment which is conducive to the transfer of leadership skills.