4.3 PARTICIPANTS’ VIEWS ON THE IMBEWU PROJECT
4.3.1 The Participants' involvement in the IP Training Programme
4.3.1.2 Reasons why some aspects of training were regarded as beneficial
cascading training model did not work as expected because information was distorted as it was cascading to colleagues”. One would expect this to be worse in the former Transkei where conditions were described as poorer than in other areas of the EC province (ECSECC, 2001). One SGB member trained from each school would be expected to train other parent members yet most of these members had limited schooling. One would expect this cascading training to be weak and ineffective and therefore lead to poor understanding of the content of the IP and finally undermine its implementation. This was evident in the responses of the SGB members’ attitude when asked for interviewing. Most said very little and some seemed reluctant to speak as if they were being asked to spy on their principals.
raising. The section on financial management shows that all the participants thought that training in fundraising enabled them to increase their revenue.
Empowerment of managers
Empowerment of managers was cited as the reason why training in human resource management was seen as beneficial. Principals stated that training had given them skills and helped them develop confidence, making them proud of their work and their schools. Since it enabled them to plan beforehand, it helped them handle ensuing activities effectively. They also mentioned that such training empowered them to manage change.
Carl (1995: 13) note that empowerment does not take place overnight but it is a drawn-out process which takes place over a long period. The concern of this study, therefore, is the short duration of the training which is unlikely to have been enough for principals with the background that was described earlier to be enabled without the process being taken over and prolonged by the district and the province and continued over a longer period of time.
Importance of planning
Principals saw planning as important because it provided guidance and helped them to succeed in reaching their set goals which in turn have become increasingly the yardstick by which their performance is measured. Planning also encouraged them to tabulate their activities, thereby helping them to remain conscious of their goals. Van der Westhuizen (1996: 154) states that one of the functions of the principal is to devise time schedules for reporting results and identify sources of aid in reaching the desired outcomes.
Importance of relationships among stakeholders
Only a third of principals made this a priority, believing the IP training in this area (‘Developing and managing relationships with the community’) to be beneficial. These principals, unlike others who do not want to spend time engaging with ‘the community’ believe that focusing on developing good relationships with the community, particularly parents, will improve cooperation among the stakeholders and result in the effective running of a school. These principals could see the benefits of training SGBs and making them part and parcel of the school. This thinking is in line with an international literature which supports school-community cooperation. Van Deventer (2003: 189) remarks that it is important to establish sound relationships in the school which involve the interaction between the educational leader and the group. Through such
interaction role players tend to develop common understandings. Stoll and Fink (1996:
135) note the need for parents and teachers ‘reading from the same page’ to promote pupil learning and development. The principals observed that it was their responsibility to establish relationships with everyone in the school. Everard and Morris (1996: 206) observe that good practice requires principals to cultivate fruitful relationships with the parent body and note that problems are more easily resolved by parents and teachers together than by either alone. Such relationships influence even the smallest task they undertake.
(b) Teachers' responses
Vision crafting brings stakeholders together
The training on vision crafting was seen as beneficial because it gave guidance in the drawing of development plans for the school. It brought parents to the school and it encouraged parents' involvement in the affairs of the school. It also made teachers aware that they could not have vision on their own but that all stakeholders in the school should sit together and develop one common vision. Such a vision helps schools to define their own direction and develop an attitude that says ‘we’re in charge of change’ (Stoll and Fink, 1996: 51). Teachers argued that for a long time parents regarded the school as a private place for learners and teachers only and this made it difficult for most problems to be solved. According to the teachers the IP training on vision crafting changed this.
© Response of the SGB members
Of the eight SGB members, one said that good relationships between the SGBs and the teachers helped in the development of the school. One said that vision crafting “gives direction in anything that one wants to do, it is like a plan”. Three said that parents were playing an active role in the education of their children. One member mentioned that consultation of parents by the principal had improved understanding between the two.
Two did not make any comments.
Summary
Attendance levels in the IP training were high but given that IP training was compulsory,
numerable obstacles. The responses concerning the usefulness (‘beneficial’) of the IP training confirm that some found the training useful but that many were not prepared to say that the training was useful. Whether this was because they were undecided or actually disliked/did not agree with the training is not clear. Amongst the principals the aspects of the training that received the most positive comment were those that would immediately impact on school management and would improve efficiency. But some principals also appreciated those aspects of the training that prepared them for a new (democratic) vision of schooling. Before 1994 principals were just put into positions of principalship without any form of preparatory training for the responsibilities of leadership as prescribed by the SASA. The IP training went some way towards providing such training and was therefore justifiably regarded as beneficial at least in laying the foundation for further training.
For teachers, appreciation of the training differed. Some of the most positive comments related to those aspects of the training that gave them a stake in the running of the school.
The relatively low percentages of endorsement by participants may indicate that the training was of poor quality. The poor quality of training may result from the poor quality of the trainers or that the time for the training may not have been enough or the follow-up that would have helped the stakeholders to implement and internalise the content of the training was either limited or poor. In addition, the training manuals did not offer much material for reading to enable a person to do follow-up reading on his/her own to understand anything that one might have missed during the training.
4.3.2 Principals and teachers’ views on the changes in the management practices