Leadership experiences of six female deans in South African universities
- Authors: Mankayi, Mandisa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6732-8559
- Date: 2021-06
- Subjects: Women in higher education , Educational leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26197 , vital:64957
- Description: The leadership of universities should be aware of and acknowledge the needs of female academics in order to facilitate the creation of an atmosphere that is welcoming to women. Currently, the needs of female academics are not being met by universities. In this study, the experiences of women from the Eastern Cape Province who have held positions as faculty deans in South African universities are investigated from the perspective of leadership. The interpretive paradigm was utilised throughout this qualitative research project. As a means of gathering information for the study, an interview guide with a structured format was combined with personal diaries. The questioning during the interview itself was unstructured because it was determined by the responses received from the people being interviewed. Interviews were conducted with six female deans from three different universities, using a technique called convenience sampling. After finishing the interview using an audio recorder, the recording was transcribed, and a technique called thematic analysis was applied to it. Because the study used theoretical lenses, the standpoint theory and feminist empiricism were both used in its analysis. According to the findings, despite the fact that South Africa has taken steps to ensure that men and women have equal opportunities and that legislation such as the Employment Act has been passed, women continue to face obstacles when trying to occupy higher leadership positions. Even though the study was not explicit in terms of the support they get from their colleagues, they mentioned the lack of support from their male counterparts. They experienced some major challenges as a result of the interaction between their leadership roles and the roles they held in their organisations. The participants suggested the underlying masculine conceptualization of leadership in their day-to-day interactions, such as working after hours and extensive travel, both of which were in conflict with their roles as mothers. According to the suggestions that have been made, the execution of the leadership roles and responsibilities shouldn't just be seen from a man's point of view. The performance of these roles ought to take into account gender sensitivity at every stage. Since things have not really moved in the direction that was anticipated, the government of South Africa ought to move more quickly to implement the equality law. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-06
Teachers’ views of pragmatic strategies to enhance leadership potential for female learners in primary schools at Amathole East Education District
- Authors: Bubulu, Thandiwe
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Educational leadership , School improvement programs
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/20024 , vital:44949
- Description: This study examined how the establishment of leadership development programme targeted at female learners in primary schools could promote female learner leaders and motivate more women to take up leadership positions to address concerns of gender and to prepare females for the challenges they may face when assuming leadership roles in future.Whereas adolescent girls may be the future representation of women leaders in society, leadership development of female learners in primary schools has been neglected. Currently, a review of literature on the problem of gender imbalance at leadership level reveals a dearth of research among the youth, less so, among young women. Yet, globally, in Africa and in South Africa, particularly, there is an inequitable balance of leadership positions in society when comparing men and women. The researcher has identified this gap and has decided to dedicated research efforts in adolescent leadership development to enrich the scant existing knowledge on the born-global phenomenon. Because schools play an important role in student development and schools are a key resource for achieving equity goals, understanding how leadership is promoted by school teachers is an important step toward growing the literature on female learners’ leadership development. The study was based on five primary schools in the Amathole District in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study followed a qualitative research approach where interviews were employed to elicit data from the study’s participants and to help in understanding the phenomenon under study. A non-probability, purposive sampling technique was used where ten participants were selected. The study’s participants were five (5) principals, two (2) HoDs, two (2) post level 1 teachers and one (1) Learner Support Assistant (LSA). The study found that a paradigm shift from the traditional view of leadership, where young people are not given leadership positions because they are regarded as young or quiet is a patriarchal belief system that should be done away with. Instead, role-players should embrace and encourage female children to be transformational and servant leaders. There is need for a change of mind-set from all role-players in South Africa to accept learners as equal participants in school leadership and to prioritise the training and development of female learner leaders. Female learners need to be taught a broader understanding of leadership as a concept including differing leadership theories and styles. Leadership as a concept needs to be taught early in primary school and to all learners. The study recommended leadership development seminars, camps, workshops and guest speakers that could aid in the development of leadership at primary school, and to be prioritised. The study concluded that continuous leadership training from a young age, for all learners in primary schools should be encouraged to ensure that learners chosen to lead assume leadership roles with confidence, skills and experience. Government schools need to allocate budget for leadership development of learners, with special funding for the relatively disadvantaged gender. , Thesis (DPhil) -- Faculty of Education, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020-09
Expanding learning in clergy leadership formation in an Anglican Church Province in Southern Africa: a critical realist study
- Authors: Chinganga, Percy
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Leadership -- Africa, Southern -- Religious aspects -- Christianity , Church management -- Africa, Southern , Critical realism , Educational leadership , Anglican Church of Southern Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92258 , vital:30704
- Description: The focus of this study was to investigate the kind of learning that happened when participants involved in clergy leadership formation programmes and activities in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) engaged in their responsibilities as a collective. Further, the research sought to explore collaborative and transforming practices in ACSA clergy leadership formation programmes and activities which could be expanded through learning. The study is premised on an investigation of the historical foundations of Christian leadership formation processes which sought to establish clergy leadership formation models relevant to ACSA (the context of the study) from inception (1848) to date (2017). This entailed investigating how the developments which have happened in the church from its inception in the New Testament times through the Medieval and Reformation periods, have contributed to the emergence of distinct Christian leadership formation models which have formed the basis of clergy leadership formation in ACSA. Accordingly, the study highlighted key issues relating to clergy leadership formation which are discernible in the different historical phases of the life and work of the church with the objective of establishing how ACSA, through expansive learning, could transform her current clergy leadership formation model(s) towards collaborative and transforming practices. The concept of expansive learning, drawn from Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), was used in the study as a methodological tool to create an environment where research participants (formators) from several dioceses would engage in collective work activities which would surface contradictions relating to how clergy leadership formation programmes and activities were understood and facilitated in ACSA. In response to the surfaced contradictions, the study engaged research participants in Change Laboratory Workshops whose goal was to transform the organisation (ACSA) in two particular ways: empowerment of participants (formators) with conceptual tools relevant to their responsibilities in clergy leadership formation programmes and activities in ACSA, and improvement of organisational cultural practices, that is, the manner in which ACSA ought to conceptualise, design, plan, facilitate and manage clergy leadership formation programmes and activities. The latter brought into the discourse the need for participants (formators) to select and employ methodologies, methods, approaches and resources relevant to the southern African context where ACSA is located even though the study also acknowledged the influence of other Anglican Church contexts on what happened at the local level. In order to decipher meaning out of investigated phenomena about clergy leadership formation in ACSA, the study employed the critical realist “underlabouring” philosophy advanced by theorists such as Bhaskar to surface underlying mechanisms that exist at the level of the “real” in order to understand the causes of particular events and experiences as they manifest in the “actual” and “empirical” domains of the world, ACSA in the case of the study. In particular, the study engaged critically the opinion deliberated by critical realists concerning the interplay between structure and agency in relation to the responsibilities of the research participants (formators) in ACSA clergy leadership formation programmes and activities. For instance, the study had an interest in investigating why bishops (principal formators in ACSA) exercised their episcopal authority in the manner they do and why individual formators were concerned about particular issues which relate to the facilitation of clergy leadership formation in ACSA (agential reflexivity/subjectivity). The study observed that, in the case of diocesan bishops, critical realists would argue that, by virtue of the authority which comes with their responsibilities (agency), they have the power to influence transformation of practices in clergy leadership formation in ACSA at any given point in time. The flip side of the discourse was also taken note of: that some bishops, for reasons known to themselves and their predecessors, are often reluctant to embrace new ideas relating to clergy leadership formation practices in their dioceses. Further, through critical realist lens, the study concluded that Canons, Vision and Mission statements, Acts, and structures such as Synod of Bishops, Provincial Synod, ABoTE, Cott, and TfM structurally shape ACSA, thus providing the organisation with a stable ontology which ought to direct, regulate and control the manner in which clergy leadership formation programmes and activities were conceptualised, designed, planned, facilitated and managed. As such, the study had an interest in establishing what would happen, in relation to clergy leadership formation practices in ACSA, when these structures would have been activated? Beyond that, in view of the goal of the study, it was enquired how expansive learning processes could be helpful in responding to the research findings towards exploring collaborative and transforming clergy leadership formation practices in ACSA. Drawing from the conceptual framework which was carved in the study on the basis of the theoretical tools (critical realism and educational leadership theory) and methodological tools (CHAT orientated concepts) undergirded by the Vygotskian theorisation of human consciousness development, the study concluded that clergy leadership formation is a collaborative activity which calls for the recognition, appreciation and utilisation of available expertise in ACSA and provision of a platform where participants (formators) could engage collectively on issues relating to their work with the objective of building each other up in knowledge and skills (expansive learning) towards realisation of the goals and objectives of the organisation. Diverse understandings (contradictions) of what needed to be prioritised in the facilitation of clergy leadership formation in ACSA would be considered as a positive rather than a negative. Ultimately, through the use of inductive, abductive and retroductive modes of inference, the study modelled a transforming, transformational, transformative, embodied and incarnational model of clergy leadership formation which ACSA could consider using in future deliberations on the object of study particularly in relation to the key research findings across the case studies which were used in the study.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Exploring emotional intelligence perceptions of school leaders in relation to social justice: a case study
- Authors: Bese, Samuel
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Educational leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/36529 , vital:33963
- Description: The aim of this study was to explore school leaders’ perceptions of intrapersonal and interpersonal emotional intelligence (EI) in relation to social justice aspects, such as equity, access and inclusive participation in the Libode Educational District of Eastern Cape Province. This district, like many other rural districts in South Africa, has to face critical leadership issues, which have an influence on how school leaders could enact social justice practices in schools (DoE, 2012). This qualitative study employed twelve in-depth interview research participants, which included 6 purposively selected principals and 6 deputy principals. Data collection and content analysis also included the following: 6 focus group interviews with head of departments (HODs) and school governing bodies (SGBs); document analysis of the minutes of school meetings; and Department of Education (DoE) memorandums. The key findings that emerged through the descriptive, exploratory, social interpretive perspectives used in this study revealed the relevance of: • school leaders’ perceptions of intrapersonal EI in enhancing social justice practices with regard to equity, access, and inclusive participation; and • school leaders’ perceptions of interpersonal EI in enhancing social justice practices with regard to equity, access, and inclusive participation. The research participants’ perceptions of EI promoted deeper understanding of how school leaders could engage in social justice in relation to school leadership, teamwork, building bonds, developing others, becoming change agents, and managing conflicts in their schools. The study also captured that EI leaders can greatly manage their emotions to enhance their abilities to identify and control their destructive impulses as well as understanding and handling others’ emotions. It would be commendable for school leaders to have a deeper understanding of how their emotions could enhance social justice in their schools.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Student teachers’ perceptions of their school mentors’ interpersonal collegial leadership competencies to develop their work-integrated learning knowledge and skills
- Authors: Mahomed, Carmel Claire
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Educational leadership , Mentoring in education -- South Africa Student teachers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42548 , vital:36667
- Description: Mentoring is indispensable for the adjustment of student teachers to the demands of the school work-integrated learning environment. Despite the benefits of mentoring to student teachers, a challenge is the inconsistency of the mentoring programmes within and across schools. An additional challenge is the predominance of bureaucratic models of mentoring, which have the potential of perpetuating a hierarchical approach to mentoring if student teachers use mentor teachers who depend on bureaucratic models of mentoring as role models. Therefore, to ensure that student teachers are exposed to a cross-pollination of expertise from all teachers in the schools, this study proposes a collegial approach to mentoring to determine the impact of the collegial competencies of the mentor teachers on the student teachers’ acquisition of work-integrated learning. A case study in a higher education institution was conducted to obtain data regarding the perceptions of two hundred and forty-one student teachers of their mentor teachers’ interpersonal competencies. The student teachers in this study were all in the final year of their initial teacher education qualification. The respondents comprised student teachers from the Foundation Phase, Intermediate Phase, Further Education and Training and Postgraduate Certificate in Education. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire. The focus in the questionnaire was on the competencies: interpersonal collegial leadership, communication, empathy, trust, content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. The findings revealed that the student teachers’ perceptions of their mentor teachers’ competencies relating to their internal collegial leadership, proficiency in communication, capacity for empathy and ability to establish trust were positive. The mentor teacher competencies of interpersonal collegial leadership, communication, empathy and trust revealed emotional intelligence competencies in their relationships with the student teachers. The findings also revealed that the student teachers' perceptions of their mentor teachers’ competencies relating to content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge were positive. The mentor teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge revealed their competencies associated with their cognitive skills (IQ) in the school work-integrated environment. The findings also indicated that, in terms of their interpersonal collegial leadership, the mentor teachers were not inclined to harness the expertise of their colleagues to ensure that there was a collegial approach to mentoring among all the teachers in a school. This might be a reason for the inability of some mentor teachers to shift their paradigms from bureaucratic approaches to mentoring to collegial approaches. The adoption of collegial approaches to mentoring with a focus on competencies associated with both EI and IQ has the potential to impact markedly on the enhancement of the professional development of student teachers.
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- Date Issued: 2019
The role of leadership in shaping school culture in a secondary school
- Authors: Kofi, Linda
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Educational leadership , Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies , Corporate culture
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92247 , vital:30698
- Description: SDG 4 calls for an “inclusive, quality and equitable education and lifelong opportunities for all”. The purpose of the study is to investigate how leadership has shaped the school culture, which culminates to higher academic performance in a secondary school. This case study is done in a previously disadvantaged secondary school within the Buffalo City Metro Education District, in the Eastern Cape. Despite the socio-economic challenges faced by the school, the NSC examination pass rate results for the school are constantly above the Provincial NSC pass rate results. Consequently, the aim of the study is to determine the unique characteristics of the school culture that have contributed to high academic performance, and how the school leadership has cultivated this culture. The study reviews school culture using Schein’s organizational culture model. Moreover, it reviews school principalship, leadership and how leadership shapes school culture. Lastly, the study reviews literature on instructional, transformational and distributed leadership theories, as they resonate well with South African school environment. The study utilizes a qualitative research method in its investigation, gathering data through document analysis and interviews. After the data was collected, the pattern matching method was utilized to analyse the findings. The key characteristics of school culture that contributed to the school performing well academically, are the values of disciplined hard work and academic excellence. Furthermore, findings proved that characteristics of instructional leadership such as the provision of professional development and the management of curriculum and instruction have the shape the school culture. Transformational leadership characteristics such as individualized consideration, inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation, have also shaped the school culture; as have characteristics of distributed leadership such as sharing authority and accountability. The study discusses the findings and then concludes by recognizing the research limitations such as the time constraints and purposeful exclusion of certain school members, for example learners. In its conclusion the study presents it contributions to the body of knowledge and provides recommendations for practitioners and future studies.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Restricted teacher leadership : a case study in a township high school in Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Fani, Pamela Pumla
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Educational leadership , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2059 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019882
- Description: The South African education system prior to 1994 was characterised by hierarchical management structures with top-down communication systems. After 1994, there was a policy call to shift leadership and management practices to more democratic ways of working. These policies required the principals to share their power with teachers, replacing the leader-follower system of leadership. The post-apartheid era in the South African education system marked a turning point where, in policy discourse at least, teachers were seen as leaders, opening the doors for teacher leadership. The aim of this study was to explore the enactment of teacher leadership in a township secondary school in the province of the Eastern Cape. It also sought to investigate the factors that enhanced or hindered this leadership enactment as teachers operated as leaders in their natural setting. Under the umbrella of distributed leadership as a theoretical framework, the research study was located within the interpretive paradigm and a qualitative case study was adopted. Three teacher leaders at the case study school were my primary participants. Data collection methods included interviews, questionnaires, observations, self-reflective journaling and telephonic conservations. I used Grant’s Model of teacher leadership as my analytical tool. My findings indicated that teacher leadership was enacted in all the zones of teacher leadership but to varying degrees. My teacher leaders enacted leadership in Zone 1 where they showed strong leadership in the classroom. They also enacted leadership in Zone 2 and 4 where they showed leadership in working with other teachers and learners outside the classroom in curricular and extra-curricular activities as well as in other neighbouring schools. However, in Zone 3 the School Management Team (SMT) controlled most of the leadership and management activities. Teacher leaders were not included in decision-making in this zone as the SMT thought that it was their sole duty. Teacher leadership in this school was thus characterised as ‘restricted’ following the characterisations of teacher leadership by Harris & Muijs (2007). Using Gunter’s (2005) categories of distributed leadership, I categorised the case study school as an example of authorised distributed leadership.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Teacher leadership practice : a case study of a public primary school in a semi-urban area of the Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia
- Authors: Hanghuwo, Maria Nahambo
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Democracy and education -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Namibia , Educational leadership , Teacher participation in administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2030 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017341
- Description: The education system in Namibia was shaped by the policies located within the framework of the apartheid ideology. Since it gained its independence in 1990, the government positioned education at the top of the national priorities. Thus, there has been a growing realisation of the importance of more democratic forms of leadership in the education system for the country to be able to cater for a democratic society. Amongst others, teachers became active creators and managers of the learning outcomes. In addition, teachers are regarded as agents of change and the driving force for productive teaching and learning. Literature describes how the management in schools has been redistributing authority and power so that a culture of teacher leadership in school communities can grow. More importantly, school improvement depends more on the active involvement of teacher leaders as it is realised that people in formal positions cannot do everything. In this line this study investigated the understanding of teachers and members of management of teacher leadership practice and it further identified the structural and cultural factors which enabled and inhibited this practice in a primary school. This study is a case study of a Primary school in a semi-urban area of Otjozondjupa Region, a central part of Namibia. This study was conducted in the interpretive paradigm and it is a qualitative case in nature, employing semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. Triangulation over the data revealed that respondents have an understanding of the concept and that all teachers are involved in leadership roles at school which are more strongly found in the classroom and through involvement with other teachers. Teacher leadership roles at the case study school also occur within the whole school with some limitations and also extend beyond the school. Grant’s (2008) model of teacher leadership was used to analyse the data. The study suggested some hindrances and supporting factors of teacher leadership. The findings suggested that teacher leadership is understood at the case study school and that they experienced factors that enabled and hindered this practice at different stages. Enabling factors included the school structure, further studies and workshops attended, while teacher leadership is impeded by teachers’ unwillingness to collaborate with others and the platoon system. The study recommends future large scale studies, including at secondary schools, so that a broader sense of teacher leadership may emerge.
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- Date Issued: 2015
The exploration of influence as a leadership competency amongst emerging adult males
- Authors: Munyai, Pfarelo Pardon
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Leadership , Leadership -- Psychological aspects , Influence (Psychology) , Control (Psychology) , Social media , Executives -- Training of , Executive ability , College students , Young adults , Educational leadership , Executive coaching , Male college students , Leadership -- Study and teaching (Higher) , College student government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:852 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017520
- Description: The association between leadership, influence and power is well developed in the literature. However, there is a notable lack of research on youth leadership development, especially as it pertains to their exercise of influence. This paper was borne out of the need to explore how youth - emerging adults’ males in particular - exercise influence as a leadership competency within their voluntary leadership positions. Using semi-structured face-to-face interviews and the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), the research primarily focused on influence tactics and how they were employed. This included assessing the related power bases and principles of influence that were manifest, as well as the learning and development that occurred when reflecting on the outcome of the influence process. Data was analysed using an open coding procedure. Incidents explored in the study were primarily interpersonal in nature. This was reminiscent of lateral influence that characterised the peer to peer contextual environment of the study. The study found that in their influence pursuits, emerging adults followed a rational approach to influence. The distinguishable power bases and their relative importance in application were context dependent (Krause and Kearney, 2006:59-86). In addition, various proactive influence tactics were employed with a leaning towards those perceived as positive, honest and non-manipulative in application, which was congruent with Head Student role expectations and the culture of the organization. The utilization of social media as a communication platform from which various tactics could be launched was a novel and notable finding. Consequently, the results were presented primarily under two themes, exploring how tactics of influence are used face to face and via the social media platform. In addition, the study emphasised the ethical implications of the exercise of influence in both of these platforms and related to this, the challenge of influencing friends or close associates, without undermining leadership integrity. Overall, the various influence incidents presented and their outcomes, evidently shaped leadership development by reinforcing tactics which worked and stimulating continuous reflection and learning, adaptive strategies and the development of new means to deal with resistance and non-compliance. All of these are critical to shaping future influence behaviour. Primary recommendations include the need for a proactive approach to educating youth on leadership and influence through formal programmes, if they were to be empowered with tools to develop and maximize their leadership potential. Equally, practitioners need to be sensitized to the significance of their role as catalysts in nurturing youth leadership development. In addition, the novel use of social media as a leadership influence platform was recognised as significant and as such, a candidate for further research. Beyond the limited scope of this study, other angles worthy of further research include, factoring in elements such as gender, cross-cultural differences and the aspect of voluntary versus incentivised (or paid) leadership positions. The research is presented in an academic paper format, and is structured in three sections. These sections are written up as relatively independent sections, but are complementary in covering the full scope of the research. Section One, which is essentially a paper in a format of an academic journal article, represent the primary section and covers the results of the study, together with discussions and recommendations. This is followed by a literature review (i.e. Section Two), which delves into all the relevant literature explored. Section Three covers the methodology, research design and research procedure pursued. As part of the addendum, a comprehensive summary of the incidents explored is presented. This gives insight into the nature of the various incidents, the influence tactics preferred, power bases and influence principles manifested, together with the outcomes of the incidents. Furthermore, lessons drawn in reflection are noted, which participants viewed as critical, in that they shaped the way they now intend to exercise influence and thereby reflects their personal leadership development.
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- Date Issued: 2015
An assessment of training needs for school governing bodies in selected Eastern Cape schools
- Authors: Kauleza, Bongeka Nosisi
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School boards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47765 , vital:40370
- Description: This research set out to assess the training needs for school governing bodies selected from Eastern Cape Schools. The study focuses in three schools in the Mthatha District. The research methodology, which was employed, can be described as qualitative, exploratory and descriptive in nature. Data was collected by means of interviews, which involved chairpersons, secretaries, learners, educators, non- teaching staff, treasurers and principals as ex-officio members. Analysis of data has revealed that the effort made by Department of Education to provide training of SGBs is inadequate to address the complex problems experienced by the SGBs. There are a number of factors such as illiteracy, low level of education, the language used during interviewing processes and term of office of governing body members that contribute to inadequacy of training of school governing bodies. It is therefore recommended that the intensified SGB development training for SGBs should be provided and further research be undertaken regarding the training needs of SGBs.
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- Date Issued: 2014