INFRASTRUCTURE POST 1994
4.4 DEMOGRAPIDCS OF THE PRINCIPALS
Before proceeding to examine how the principals are constructing themselves as leaders within school transformation, I think that this is an opportune moment to introduce the designated leaders of schools. This introduction assumes the form of a demographic profile in terms of age group, qualification, gender, previous post and experience in the principalship.
Chapter Four: Conflicting Views On Principals As Leaders L Bhagowat
Table 4.2 below captures a profile of the principals who responded to the survey according to age, qualification and gender.
Table 4. 2: Distribution of principals according to age. qualification and gender.
PrinclDal'. aender DrlnciDal'. Qualification Total
M+3 m+4 M+5 m+6 m+7
Female principal'. age 36·45 age group Count 0 0 3 3 0 6
% within principal'.
.0% .0% 50.0% 50.0% .0% 100.0%
aae
46-55 age group Count 1 4 2 5 2 14
% within principal'.
7.1 % 28.6% 14.3% 35.7% 14.3% 100.0%
aae
56+ age group Count 1 1 0 2 0 4
% within principal'.
25.0% 25.0% .0% 50.0% .0% 100.0%
aae
Total Count 2 5 5 10 2 24
% within principal'.
8.3% 20.8% 20.8% 41.7% 8.3% 100.0%
aae
Male principal'. age 36-45 age group Count 1 4 2 5 3 15
% within principal'.
6.7% 26.7% 13.3% 33.3% 20.0% 100.0%
aae
46-55 age group Count 1 5 7 14 9 36
% within principal"
2.8% 13.9% 19.4% 38.9% 25.0% 100.0%
aae
56+ age group Count 0 0 0 4 0 4
% within principal"
.0% .0% .0% 100.0% .0% 100.0%
aae
Total Count 2 9 9 23 12 55
% within principal'.
3.6% 16.4% 16.4% 41.8% 21.8% 100.0%
aae
Chapter Four: Conflicting Views On Principals As Leaders L Bhagowat
Table 4.2 indicates that the majority of the principals (males: 58% and females: 65%) are in the 46-55 age group, pointing to the fact that the majority have been involved in the practice of education fOT a reasonable period of time and have been witnesses to the radical change in South African education. However, their formal training and previous experience which occurred in a different environment may have not necessarily trained them for the challenges of leading their schools in this period of rapid transformation (Pettit et aI, 1992; Steyn& Squelch, 1994).
The younger principals (36-45 age group), however, tend to be more highly qualified.
One hundred percent of the males and 66, 6% of the females are post graduates with a REQV 15 (M+ 5) and above. This may be due to one or more of the following reasons:
• this is the information age: there is an increase in researching education and an infiltration of theories from the business world to the education arena.
• the younger principal is more ambitious: shelhe recognizes and exploits the opportunities available for lifelong learning.
• shelhe identifies the need to acquire new skills and expertise: shelhe understands that principalship is no longer protected by the system and that one needs to empower oneself to manage, drive and lead change in a dynamic and potentially conflicting environment.
• in recent years (post 1996) school governing bodies are making recommendations for the younger, more qualified principal since they believe that one needs to be energized; consequently those aspiring to the principalship have taken the initiative to empower themselves for the challenging task of leading schools in this turbulent time of transformation.
The appointment of younger (36-45 age group) principals with higher qualifications, points to the relationship between post graduate studies to scholarship. Further studies promote knowledge production by the processes of research and critique. These processes illustrate the emerging thinking about professional qualifications and academic qualifications (honours and above) among teachers. Instead of the continuing focus of producing teachers within South Africa, there is a movement towards a knowledge driven community (researching teacher education) to lead and
Chapter Four; Conflicting Views On Principals As Leaders LBhagowat
manage change in education. Academic qualifications enable teachers to inform their practice through knowledge. Caldwell (2003: 7) maintains: "Knowledge management should be an integral part of teacher education, but more particularly at the graduate or post graduate level, and especially for leaders and managers." This cohort of principals who have engaged in self development programmes will probably be capacitated in many ways to lead change at the school. Being involved in change empowers one to facilitate change. But their success stories will depend on a whole range of factors.
Women in South Africa continue to dominate the education profession, but not in positions ofleadership and management (Truscott, 1994; Wolpe et aI., 1997; Mahlase, 1997; Chisholm& Napo, 1999 as cited in Chisholm, 2001).Inthe past the secondary school principal was largely the domain of the male, while the primary school principal was largely the domain of the female. But there is the emergence of a deviation from this norm since the implementation of redress policies relating to school based promotions.
This study shows no significance in relation to gender and qualification. The majority of males and females have post graduate qualifications across all age groups. This could be attributed to the re-emergence of the reliance of higher education to lead transformation in schools. "The successful transformation of schools calls for a 'new professional' in which teacher's work is increasingly research-based, outcomes-based, data driven, and team focused at the same time as it is globalised, localized and individualized, with lifelong professionalleaming the norm for the specialist in school education as it is for the specialist in medicine" (Caldwell, 2003: 7). So when it comes to transformation at the school site, male and female principals are adequately qualified as professionals and their rates of success as agents of transformation will depend on factors other than qualification. These factors which include the personal, socio-political, socio-eultural and educational, among others, will be explored in the next chapter based on the edited life histories of the principals.
Chapter Four: Conflicting Views On Principals As Leaders L Bhagowat
Table 4. 3 : Distribution of principals accordingtoageand previouspost level.
. . •
; DOStlevel TotalIeYeI
1 leYeI2 l..eYel3 other
Principar• •ge 36-45.gegroup Count 4 5 8 3 20
% within
20.0% 25.0% 40.0% 15.0% 100.0%
. rs ...
46-55.gegroup Count 4 18 25 5 52
%within
7.7% 34.6% 48.1% 9.6% 100.0%
DrinciDar. . . .
56+.gegroup Count 1 2 4 1 8
% within
12.5% 25.0% 50.0% 12.5% 100.0%
.
. .aae
Total Count 9 25 37 9 80
% within
11.3% 31.3% 46.3% 11.3% 100.0%
Drincipal·. . . .
Table 4.3 reflects that in all three age groups, the majority of the principals: 40%, 48.1 % and 50% respectively were promoted from level 3 to level 4. This finding supports the notion that experience in the various levels preceding the principalship is an important consideration for promotion to the position of principal.
But we cannot ignore another wave of transformation that is prevalent at the school site. The majority (20%) of the principals who have been promoted to the principalship, from level one hail from the younger age group of 36-45 years. Prior to the implementation of the South African Schools Act and the formation of school governing bodies, those aspiring to the principalship were compelled to go through the ranks. Since the penetration of democratic principles into the education arena which was cataclysmic to the revamping of the promotion process, certain younger principals with no prior experience in education management were promoted to the principalship. The educator armed with a REQV 13 (M+3) and five years of teaching experience became a contender for the level 3 principalship and the educator armed with a REQV 13 (M+3) and seven years of teaching experience became a contender for the level 4 principalship (School Based Promotion Bulletins released since 1998).
Once again the transformation agenda in education is apparent: previously disadvantaged educators are given the opportunity to head schools.
Chapter Four: Conflicting Views On Principals As Leaders L Bhagowat
To gain a better understanding of the transfonnation agenda as it relates to the appointment of principals, there is a need to reflect on the history of South African education which reverberated on all aspects of schooling, including school based promotions. During the apartheid era the appointment of principals was based on seniority and qualifications. Every educator who aspired to promotion was subject to progressing from one level to the next and the department was solely responsible for identifying personnel worthy of being promoted. There was no recourse for debate or dispute.
The early years of the post apartheid era witnessed a radical change in the practices and procedures of the appointment of principals. Since the main theme that prevailed during this period was redress, educators with a minimum teaching qualification of M+3, irrespective of their seniority, were promoted to the principalship. The policy to decentralize education to the school site: empowered school governing bodies to recommend educators to be appointed as principals based on the needs of the school and its surrounding community. Also, transformation practices enabled educators to declare disputes and lodge grievances with the appropriate authorities.
However, after a decade of democracy school governing bodies are cautious about who gets promoted to the principalship. There is a re-emergence of the criteria for promotion that was characteristic of the pre-democratic era: higher level qualifications and the experience of progressing through the levels are important considerations when making recommendations for promotion posts. This can be gleaned from Table 4.2, which indicates that 41.8% have a qualification of M+6 and 21.8 % have a qualification ofM+7 and from Table 4.3, which indicates that 31.3% progressed from level 2 and 46.3% progressed from level 3 to the principalship.
In
theorizing about why this trend is resurfacing, I found myself reflecting on the mammoth challenges confronting the principal. According to Fullan & Stiegelbauer (1991: 147): "The amount and number of areas of school expertise expected of the school principal _ school law, curriculum planning, supervision of instruction, community relations, human resource development, student relations, administration - are ever increasing."The South African principal faces all this and more since she/he is also faced with the daunting task of dealing with the scourge of apartheid education. It is not surprising that the principalship demands the skills and expertise that emanates from
Chapter Four: Conflicting Views On Principals As Leaders LBhagowat
professional self development and lifelong learning. Not only does the principal have to be well versed in the wave of business administration sweeping across education administration, but shelhe is compelled to market the institution and compete for learner enrollment.
Chapter Four: Conflicting Views On Principals As Leaders L Bhagowat
Table 4. 4: Distribution of principals according to age and years in current post
prlnclpal'aag.*principal:y....xp.rl.nc. In curr.nt po.t Cro" tabulation PrlnclDal : v... In cur...nt Do,t
1 2 3 4 5 8 7 8 11 Total
principal" 38-45ag.group Count 2 2 3 3 4 2 1 3 1 21
ag. %within
principal" 9,5% 9.5% 14.3% 14.3% 19.0% 9.5% 4.8% 14.3% 4.8% 100.0%
ag.
48·55ag.group Count 3 7 1 5 7 15 8 3 4 51
%within
principal" 5.9·~ 14% 2.0·~ 9.8% 13.7% 29.4% 11.8% 5.9% 7.8% 100.0%
ag.
58+ag.group Count 0 0 0 1 3 0 2 1 0 7
%within
principal" .0% .0% .0% 14.3% 42.9% .0% 28.8·~ 14.3% .0% 100.0%
ag.
Total Count 5 9 4 9 14 17 9 7 5 79
%within
principal" 8.3·k 11% 5.1% 11.4% 17.7% 21.5% 11.4% 8.9% 8.3% 100.0%
ag.
Chapter Four: Conflicting Views On Principals As Leaders LBhagowat
While the majority of principals surveyed have five years or more experience in their current posts, a fair number are less than five years in their current post (Table 4.4).
The latter finding may point to a high turnover of principals in schools. This finding may be due to principals opting to retire at an early age because they cannot cope with the challenges that accompany school transformation, or their opting for a voluntary severance package to seek greener pastures. The schools surveyed are in existence for many years (located in settled communities) and, perhaps the opportunity for transforming schools is available as new leaders are appointed to replace other principals.