An appraisal of the role and training of the school secretary in South African schools

In spite of the undeniable "linchpin role" of the school secretary, there is a lack of theorizing on this position. Inquiry reveals that this position is taxed with an infinitely varied set of demands and responsibilities, which requires sound training. The new South Africa school situation, poses additional challenges and demands to this position, and the need for training.

Although secretaries more than often fulfill the role of "linchpin" at schools, they are the step children in the education system. The situation of school secretaries mirror that of other secretaries and that of women in the helping professions in general (Casanova 1991). Their low salaries reflect their lack of status, and thus the little attention given to the study of their role (Saxe 1968). Virtually no literature deals with school secretaries, or their training. Casanova (1991, p. 1) observes that this "...lack of research on the school secretary is puzzling" (vide also Rimer, 1984, p. 16). Rimer (ibid) points out that the school secretary is often perceived as an extension of the principal, yet despite this role as a decision maker, she is generally given little recognition, and is poorly paid. They are "...essential to the set but remain primarily part of the action. They are simply there" Lofland (1975: 145). Principals interviewed on the role of the school secretary would frequently declare: "We couldn't run the school without her" (Casanova ibid). South African school principals observe similarly. This was learned from the two interviews with school principals. The lack of literature in South Africa, or elsewhere, which deals with the training of school secretaries, in general, is a chapter by De Witt (1990). According to De Witt (personal interview on 27 September 1996), considerable emphasis is placed on the training of support personnel in British schools. Yet, as far as could be determined, in South Africa no courses exist for the training of school secretaries. The little research into this role further limits the knowledge on the training of school secretaries.

The manner in which the role of the school secretary is viewed remains the reason for the disappointing absence of such theory (Hart 1985: 131), along with

1 The lack of know-how-a matter of education?

2 The particular aptitude of the secretary to grow-a question of quality?

3 The acknowledgement of development which would take the secretary into the "professional" domains of the school's functioning-A matter attitude? The following aspects should be investigated:

What type of literature exists on school secretaries in general?

What is the task and role of the school secretary?

Why is there such a lack of appreciation of the school secretary in South Africa and elsewhere?

What are particular perspectives from a South Africa context?

Who should train the school secretary and what could be done to ensure that school secretaries in South Africa are properly trained?

Although school secretaries are usually female, one of the school principals interviewed by this author, pointed out, that in an agricultural school there would usually be a male secretary, on account of the particular administration of hostels and the school farm. (In this article, however, only female pronouns will be used. Similarly, the use of exclusively male pronouns for school principals, is no denial of the many women principals.)

Literature study

Unfortunately, existing literature is scarce and some of the sources are outdated. Only the article by Hart (1985) deals with the training of school secretaries. There has been no research into this area in South Africa since, 1990. this all underscores the acuteness of the problem.

Task and role: "vignettes" from daily activities

One principal, cited in Casanova's (1991) research project, argued that the school secretary has an obligation to satisfy and "...be all things to all people." "The school secretary has to be like a duck-calm and unruffled on the surface but paddling like hell underneath" (the words of Clegg-Smith, quoted by Hart, 1985: 132). The following "vignettes" (as Casanova 1991 calls it) emerges during the day of the school secretary. (cf. observations by: Sweeny and Stoops (1981), Rimer (1984), Hart (1985), De Witt (1990), Casanova (1991; De Witt (1996), and the interviews with the two school principals (1997).

Public relations officer

A school secretary is an advertisement for her school, and plays an important role in the fostering of school-community relations. According to Casanova (1991) the "...school office is the school's public face". Sweeny and Stoops (1981: 6) maintains that the secretary "...is in the first line of defense of the public relation's posture of virtually every school."

On account of her contact with the public the secretary needs to know how to establish an inviting school climate by creating a pleasant, welcoming and friendly atmosphere. According to Sweeny and Stoops (1981: 4) the term "school office climate" is an extension of the "school climate". There are numerous writings on school climate, but few on school office climate or the role of the secretary in this. Guests' first and (sometimes sole) contact with the school is their contact with the secretary, who should reflect the critical attributes that promote good human relations are cheerfulness, friendliness and a good sense of humor (on these crucial attributes, cf. Cassel 1997: 2).

The secretary is often required to perform the role of public relations officer when she deals with outside groups. The secretary's main clientele, however, are pupils and parents.

When new pupils are enrolled, she clarifies and informs on school policy and rules, programmes, medical stipulations, bus itineraries, equipment needed, and so on. This first encounter affects the mood and sentiment of clients for the school. She also has to inform parents of illness and injuries sustained by children. She also has to help when there are torn clothes, unpunctuality, if pupils have to phone urgently. In all this the secretary has to react in a manner that communicates the empathy of the school.

All this stress the importance of high quality communication skills. Formal as well as informal communication skills, as well as being adept at intercultural communication is imperative. The school secretary has to "...monitor communications on the telephone so that the public is treated with respect, no matter how negative a person's attitude is" (Sweeny and Stoops 1981: 7). This all calls for training. Student service bureau: "Mother away from home"

Stowell (as quoted by Casanova, 1991: 24) compares the secretary with a "mother away from home". In contrast to their counterparts in industry, school secretaries have to answer to a diversity of customers in an environment dedicated to the upbringing of pupils. In this function, the secretary cares for pupils' "nonlearning" requirements. This role might be defined as "school mather", because the secretary executes the duties of custodian over the children, or the role of "substitute parent" (in loco parentis). Secretaries are often required to show a personal interest in pupils' situations, which impedes her execution of required paperwork. The school secretary is expected to shoulder any unspecified duties, and attend to any crisis that may develop which complicates her time management.

Clerical work and "financial consultant" School organization and administration involves filing, class registers, correspondence, the parent newsletter and the school calendar. She also has to be involved in: bookkeeping; the school budget; accounting, personnel and pupil records; the keeping of medical records; collecting and recording of money; writing out of cheques, caring for office equipment and supplies; writing of letters, and the administration of post. The duties are never-ending.

Office manager

With a view to running the school office efficiently, the school secretary has to know where everything is kept and keep up an appealing and professional environment. She even has to do day-to-day maintenance work on office equipment. The maintenance of bulletin boards would usually also be her responsibility.

Personalized information centre, "sounding board"; "the eyes and ears of the head" The secretary receives, most information that enters the school before anybody else. It is an unmistakable truth, that the secretary needs to be a major source of information of the personnel as well as the principal.

Sometimes she needs to be a confidant and "sounding board". As the source of information, she would be even better clued up if she could attend staff meetings. She, nevertheless, has admission to information through the reading and typing of agendas and memorandums of meetings. Because she frequently interacts with parents, teachers and other employees of the school, she may be able to recommend items for the agenda to the principal.

Administrative assistant to the principal A principal's skill to manage the dayto-day activities of the school may have far-reaching consequences for the educational programme and his own efficiency. The reaching consequences for the educational programme and his own efficiency. The secretary has a definite facilitating role to play in this regard. Thus she should be knowledgeable about office practices, maintain poise in stressful situations, resolve conflict situations and also evidence all kinds of problem solving skills.

The effective school secretary is supported by the effective school principal who knows that his own effectiveness will be enhanced by the full utilization of his secretary.

Training of school secretaries

Training for this special kind of role and task is imperative. On the one hand the school secretary should reflect the universal skills that any secretary should display, such as typing and filing, yet on the other hand, she should assist the teaching personnel in their task of educating pupils.

In order to help the principal, the vice principal and teachers in their educative task, the school secretary should at least know how a school functions. She needs to be able to work with children, something a secretary in any situation need not do.

No school secretary intuitively possesses all these skills. Usually, she will learn the necessary skills after a time of "hit and miss". According to one principal interviewed, the secretary may previously have been employed by a bank or a similar institution. The school principal or a co-secretary, in such a case, normally has to do the training of the new secretary. If she makes mistakes, the principal has to rectify these and to help her in this regard; an impossible situation given his/her own hectic schedule.

The particular South African context

Casanova (1991: 2) observed that it is "...difficult to imagine a school without a secretary". One of the core problems facing South Africa is that we have to cut our cost according to our cloth (Lewis 1997, p. 14). Lewis maintains that this is nowhere more clear than in the recent release of the Schools Register of Needs Survey. It is a sad situation in South Africa that there are still some schools in 1997 that have: no electricity, no proper classrooms, no toilets, no running water, no laboratories and no libraries. Currently school attendance is compulsory for all children from a certain age onwards. Previously schooling was only compulsory for White children, and this implies that more school secretaries of the historically disadvantaged communities will have to be appointed as school secretaries, as redress of the past. Unfortunately, the standard of Black or Colored secretaries may be lower due to the previous weaker educational system. This may be a handicap for both the school secretary as well the school principal, and for the school where she is employed.

The training of school secretaries has to comply with the needs of the new South Africa. Universities in the Republic of South Africa needs to take cognizance of the need of the training of school secretaries.

Conclusion

It is clear that the often well-nigh "gargantuan" role and task of the school secretary demands exceptional persons with sound training. Yet, in the new South Africa the training will have to be affordable to all segments of the population. It is also clear that the design of training courses demands more extensive research into this role and its demands, this course could be offered as a certificate qualification at the researcher's own university, the University of South Africa.

Since the school secretary is and will always be a position that is in demand by women, being a half day position, this is ideal for mothers. This datum along with the importance of this role within the school structure, should ensure sufficient candidates for training.

References

Casanova, U. (1991). Elementary school secretaries: The women in the principal's office. Newbury Park: California.

Cassel, R. (1997). DEDEV computer assist counseling: from ego-status to ego-ideal. Chula Vista, California: Project Innovation.

De Witt, J.T. (1990). Die rol van die vrou in onderwysbestuur. In RC. van der Westhuizen. (Ed.). Doeltreffende onderwysbestuur. Pretoria: HAUM-Tersier.

De Witt, J.T. 1996. Personal interview. 27 September 1996.

Hart, J. (1985). The secondary school secretary-- Some hidden and some developmental aspects of the secretary's role. In Educational Management and Administration. 13, 131-139.

Lewis, G. (1997). Tackling the education crisis. The Star, Monday, 25 August 1997, 14.

Lofland, L.H. (1975). The "thereness" of women: A selected review of urban sociology. In M. Millman and R. Kanter (Eds.).

Millman, M., and Kanter, R.M. (Eds.). (1975). Feminist perspectives on social life and social science. New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday.

Rimer, A. (1984). Elementary school secretary: formal decision-maker. In Educational Horizons. 63 (1) Fall 1984: 16-18.

Saxe, R.W. (1990). Educational administration today: An introduction. Berkeley, CA: McCutcheon.

Sweeney, R.C., and Stoops, E. (1981). Handbook for educational secretaries and office personnel. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Theron, P.F., and Bothma, J.H. (1988). Riglyne vir die skoolhoof. Pretoria: Academica.

Van der Westhuizen, P.C. (Ed.). (1990). Doeltreffende onderwysbestuur. Pretoria: HAUM-Tersier.

CH VAN DER LINDE

Senior Lecturer, Department of Primary School Teacher Training

Faculty of Education

The University of South Africa

PO. Box 392, Pretoria, 0003. South Africa

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