APPENDIX I: Declaration to consent of the school principal 2 169
5.2 Presentation of data from the field 96
5.2.2 The causes of school decline of once reputable schools in Zimbabwe 100
5.2.2.5 The link between management and school decline 111
the school is in decline. This will further lead to school decline since their effort and commitment to their jobs will further decline translating to poor or low academic achievement in the school pass rates.
Also, in agreement with the above is Kanter’s (2004) model. This model notes that losing streaks begin in response to a sense of failure and failure makes people feel out of control. It is just one more step to a pervasive sense of powerlessness and powerlessness corrodes confidence. When there are few resources or coping mechanisms for dealing with problems, people fall back on almost primitive, self-protective behaviour. Nine pathologies begin to unfold, as an emotional and behavioural chain reaction: Communication decreases; criticism and blame increase; respect decrease; isolation increases; focus turns inwards; rifts widens and inequities grow; initiatives decreases; aspirations diminish and negativity spreads (Kanter, 2004). This shows that the staff would become less motivated and morale would be low, the same would be their attitude towards their work which would also be affected negatively. Consequently, the attitude of the school children would also be affected since the teachers would be paying less attention to them and their work.
Low teacher morale, poor attitude of students to learning and children’s rights have been outlined as some of the major causes of school decline. This was supported by the participants’
responses and also by the two theoretical frames. Weitzel and Jonsson’s (1989), model of organisational decline states that low morale and motivation of teachers at a school is caused by observations they make of the school if it is in decline. Also, Kanter (2004) in her nine pathologies notes low teacher morale leading to school decline through decreased communication, decreased initiatives and criticism and increased blame.
In some of the schools that I’m talking about that have declined. It is the leadership style the management adopts, some are autocratic they just pass what should be done to the subordinates without consultation. The management just came up with all the plans, all the decisions were made by a few individuals or the management. They wanted that to cascade down to the subordinates. Now these subordinates would not take these decisions whole-heartedly because it is the management’s decisions and they were never consulted. (Mr Mbongoro)
In addition, Mr Mbongoro also said:
Teachers are not being involved in decision making for example they want to introduce a new subject they just introduce it without the knowledge of the subordinates the teachers who are actually the foot soldiers on the ground. Yet they are the people who actually undertake those tasks. They are not consulted and if this happens teachers will not be enthusiastic or motivated. But if they are consulted they will say it is our decision and it is ours in a way. Leadership and management have contributed to school decline. (Mr Mbongoro)
Also, from the same school, Mr Bhiza, a Head of Department also noted this:
Yes, Management actually determines the way teachers and students perfome in a school. Supervision of teachers’ work has a bearing on the performance of students. So most or some schools actually complain about lack of supervision.
Lack of supervision is one of the management practices that can lead to school decline. As a manager you have to ensure everything is done and is done in the right way and timeously. (Mr Bhiza)
Mr Sazi, the Head of Department of English in Tagwinya High School, said:
I think in a way leadership and management has contributed to school decline in schools. The leadership qualities of a school principal will generally affect the performance of the teachers and that of the students within the particular school.
If within the school the leadership and management fails to enforce the school
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policies and rules and regulations of the school and the ministry. This can definitely lead to school decline. (Mr Sazi)
Mr Kukuru, a parent from Tagwinya High School, shared the same ideas of management being linked to school decline with the above participants when he said:
Yes, I think there is a relationship between school decline and the school management. Where we have an efficient management there is high pass rate or good reputation whichever way you call it. Where we have management which is not efficient we have decline in all respects. In all functions of the school be it in class, sports or be it the physical appearance. (Mr Kukuru)
In line with the above responses, a recent unpublished study by Mthiyane, Bhengu and Bayeni (date unknown) in South Africa notes that leadership fights lead to both school and pupil enrolment declining. This in turn leads to pupil absenteeism and late coming, teachers failing to report to duty and eventually to decline.
Viewed from Weitzel and Jonsson’s (1989) five stages model of organisational decline, the tensions present in stage three increase as the dominant coalition begins to fractionate, with subgroups positioning themselves to compete for declining resources (Weitzel & Jonsson, 1989).
In schools, members of staff start forming clicks and various departments start fighting for the declining school resources. Employees experience great uncertainty as rumours multiply and morale deteriorates (Greenhaigh, 1982). Some of the more talented may leave as they see opportunities for advancement and personal growth disappear. In schools, staff turnover of senior and more experienced and qualified personnel will increase looking for better schools within or outside the country. Members in boundary-spanning positions who believe that their calls for change have been ignored begin to consider other job possibilities. School leadership is questioned, and individual leaders are subjected to increasing stress (Weitzel & Jonsson, 1989).
Kanter (2004) also notes that in declining organisations, competition among individuals, cliques or departments can easily make some people feel deprived relative to others. She also notes that growing inequality perpetuates decline when it is based on factors other than performance and seems to be unfair. Certainly in troubled organisations, managers are thought to play favourites, giving people privileges or promotions for reasons other than objective performance (ibid, 2004).
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The willingness to settle for mediocrity burgeons for work groups in declining companies.
People in business caught in a downward spiral are likely to report that others do not care about performing to the highest standards for their industry (Kanter, 2004).
In her theory, Kanter (2004) also notes that as problems mount, so does the likelihood that managers would retreat to their own turf and defend it against change. People tend to blame others, avoid one another, become less communicative and managers retreat to their own territory instead of thinking about the school as a whole (Kanter, 2004). Commands start flowing from the top. Tighter cost controls are greeted with cynicism, as people whisper that none of it mattered if the company collapsed. Some begin to do minimum, showing up at work only long enough to earn their end-of-year bonus; everyone assume that others would be leaving, so they said it was not worth getting to know them. However, characteristics of chronically-low performing schools, such as large class sizes, diminished faculty capacity and increased student violence, potentially manifest as the consequences of school decline rather than initiate or facilitate the process (Hochbein & Duke, 2011). All this shows how management contributes to the decline of schools as organisations.
The link between management and school decline was discussed as weak and autocratic management (not involving teachers in decision making) causing schools to decline. The participants supported this through their responses and also in support was literature. The two theoretical framework also concurred to this when Weitzel and Jonsson’s (1989) five stage model of organisational decline alluded that in stage three people tend to form coalitions and cliques to fight for resources and also the school positions leading to further decline of the school. In her theory, Kanter (2004) also notes that as problems mount, so does the likelyhood that managers would retreat to their own turf and defend it against change. So, weak management and autocratic management causes school decline.
In contrast, Mr. Muvhuro, a parent of Umambo High School, had the opposite in mind on the link between school management and decline in school and he said:
I would say management might come as victims of circumstances. There was a time when there was no other way management could have handled the situation in Zimbabwean schools especially during the economic hardships and the
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political situations. Whether they liked it or not, management ended up labeled as inefficient. So there is no way we can divorce management from the problems that schools faced but I would consider them as victims of circumstances. I do not want to say management in general caused schools to decline but under the circumstances the Zimbabweans were leaving it was always like an implied thing that management was definite to be corrupt to survive so there is a link but it is an indirect link from my own point of view. (Mr Muvhuro)
In support of the above, literature notes that some schools in Zimbabwe have shown signs of decline and this has been aggravated by the economic meltdown which started in 2006 up to 2010 (Tendi, 2009). By 2008 the Zimbabwean economy had undergone a veritable meltdown, with all indicators signifying a country in severe distress. Thus, the country’s once- internationally envied health and education services sector were in tatters by 2008 (Mlambo &
Raftopoulos, 2010). Worsening the inadequate quality of teaching is the non-existence of the bare minimum of teaching and learning materials required for schools to operate. There was a severe lack of funding from government for books, desks, chairs and for the adequate remuneration of teachers. This has adversely affected the quality of education in Zimbabwe (Tendi, 2009).
From the literature above it shows how the collapse of the economy affected the running and management of the educational sector of Zimbabwe which later translated into the decline of most schools. This collapse of the economy made people to blame most of the school management in the decline of most schools since this was beyond their control because the government could no longer avail funds to buy text books, furniture and also to renovate and build new buildings in most schools. So, most school managements were used as scapegoats of the government failure caused by the economic melt-down because for the smooth running of schools and effective learning and teaching to take place there should be financial resources to buy teaching and learning aids like text books, furniture and computers.
School decline in Zimbabwe cannot be entirely blamed on weak leadership and autocratic style of management. The above findings have shown that management can sometimes be used as scapegoats of school decline, but the major cause was the economic collapse of the Zimbabwean economy starting 2006 up to 2010.
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