role of good educational management in a changing South Africa, The

van der Linde, Ch

There are so many changes in our world that it seems as though traditional education just is not relevant anymore. Change in education implies learning, growth, renewal and organizational development. In South Africa, change is taking place on a large scale. Political, technological, economic and social change is taking place Since the political change in 1994 certain documents indicate crucial change and its bearing on education. Rapid change implies structural change Future change will require a complete reversal of the old educational mindset that was previously applicable. Changes in the near future in South Africa will be a complete reversal of the old management mindset and of what has previously been accepted. The question that arises is "What role can good management play in order to manage the radical changes that are already occurring in our schools?" The starting point is the achievement of a major paradigm shift. The learning organization philosophy is a reaction to diminish the current problems in South African schools. It enables the creation of learning cultures and an environment for lifelong learning through a culture of collaboration and commitment.

INTRODUCTION

Change is part of human existence. We live in an era of paradox, opportunities and above all, change. There are so many changes in our world that it seems as though traditional education just is not relevant anymore. Change is essential in any organization, including the school, in order to stay abreast of the changing life world. Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, said: "To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often" (as quoted by Van der Linde, 2000b: 28).

A key task of the contemporary school is to stay ahead of change. The science fiction writer Arthur C. Clark stresses that "the future ain't what it used to be!" (Weindling, 1997:218). Education in South Africa is currently undergoing dramatic change. The managerial tasks of education managers have also changed significantly. Changing education implies learning, growth, renewal and organizational development. According to Garret (1997:95) the management of change is complex and it may cause "a great deal of upset and disturbance". Fullan (1993:viii) however argues that those educators with a "knowledge of how to view, cope with and initiate change" will be able to manage it better than others. The focus of this article therefore is on the role of good educational management in a changing South Africa.

2 CHANGES IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

2. Changes in South Africa

In 1994 the first democratic elections took place in South Africa. Since these elections transformation took place on a large scale in the South African society on political, technological, economic and social levels. These changes are also evident in the South African education system.

2.2 Changes in the South African education system

2.2.1 The environment

The author interviewed Professor Harry Gray, a well-known academic in Education Management, and previously lecturing School Organization and Management at the University of Lancaster, on 20 September 2000. He said inter alia the following:

"No school exists in isolation. Schools only work because they interact with their environment - or chosen parts of it. Every school functions within a number of environments though only a few are key determinants of activity. Environments are highly complex and often inscrutable and unpredictable. Scanning the environment for coming changes is part of the dynamics of strategic thinking".

This is especially true for educational managers in South Africa where change is taking place on a large scale in education.

The pace of change in education is accelerating. Unprecedented pressure is currently being exerted on teaching institutions all over the world and also in South Africa as a result of new technology, changes in teaching methods and limited resources. Changes in South Africa are evident from macro level (systems level) to operational level (school level).

2.2.2 Documents that changed the South African education system

Since the political change in 1994 certain documents indicate crucial change and its bearing on education, inter alia

* The National Educational Policy Investigation (NEPI Report) (1992): This is a curriculum policy for South Africa grounded on an analysis of existing circumstances with goals for future social development.

* The ANC Policy Framework for Education and Training (January 1994).

* Education White Paper 1. Education and training in a democratic South Africa. First steps to develop a new system (Department of Education, 1995).This paper identifies according to Steyn (1997:157-158) inter alia the following values and principles:

* "Education and training should be regarded as human rights and the state has the obligation to protect and advance these rights.

* The education of children is the primary responsibility of parents and guardians and they have the right to be consulted by the state with regard to the form of education.

* They have a crucial role to play in the governance of schools.

* The state has an obligation to provide parents with advice and counselling on education services and to render appropriate care and educational services to young children in the community.

* The goal of policy should be to enable all individuals to value, have access to, and succeed in lifelong education and training of good quality.

* Open access to education and training opportunities of good quality for all children, youth, and adults must be promoted. Learners should be able to move from one learning context to another.

* Because of the inequalities of the past there should be an emphasis on redress for those people who are disadvantaged or who are vulnerable.

* The principle of equity should be adhered to to ensure that all citizens receive the same quality of learning opportunities.

* Quality of education and training must be addressed and is required of all institutions or organizations involved in education and training.

* To establish a culture of teaching, learning and management, a culture of accountability should be created."

* The National Qualifications Framework (SAQA Act, 1995) provides access to lifelong learning by means of recognized levels on which all learning standards and qualifications will be registered.

* The SAQA (The South African Qualifications Authority) Act of 1995 gives SAQA and its relevant bodies authority to approve new qualifications.

* Education White Paper 2. The organization, governance and funding of schools (DE, 1996).

* The South African Constitution, adopted on 10 December 1996;

* The Bill of Rights.

The above-mentioned documents lead the pathway to inter alia

* the move from 19 different education systems to one education system;

* a move from monocultural to multicultural schools;

* the move from a focus on educator input (content-driven education) to learner outcomes (outcomes based education with intended results (outputs)) as indicated in Curriculum 2005 and Curriculum 21 (a more streamlined version of Curriculum 2005); and

* education.

3. GOOD EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING SOUTH AFRICA

Changes in the near future in South Africa will be a complete reversal of the old management mindset and of what has previously been accepted. The question that arises is "What role can good management play in order to manage the radical changes that are already occurring in schools in South Africa?" The starting point is the achievement of a major paradigm shift which means a complete reversal of the old educational mindset.

3.1 The achievement of a major paradigm shift

Rapid change implies structural change. Future change will require a complete reversal of the old educational mindset that was previously applicable. The values, traditions and practices that have served over decades are no longer relevant. The legacy of the apartheid past has to be transformed from an autocratic, ethnically and racially based education system to an education system which emphasises human rights, democracy, peaceful coexistence, equality development and quality education.

There is also a paradigm shift in Educational Management. This implies that people tend to view, study and interpret managerial issues and events in a different way that was done previously, thus a new attitude results which leads to a change in the practice of educational management.

3.2 The practice of educational management is changing

Whitaker (1997: 20) emphasizes the fact that the practice of management is changing Schools nowadays exhibit for instance the following features: educators, who are members of more than one department, more permeable departmental boundaries, less seniority and more leadership positions across and outside departments.

3.3 The role of leadership

"...powerful leaders of the past and present were dreamers and visionaries. They were people who looked beyond the confines of space and time to transcend the traditional boundaries of either their positions or their organizations" (Roueche, Baker & Rose, 1989:109).

Leadership positions would also be expected to change over time, as circumstances require (Hargreaves, 1994:67). A bottom-up leadership style with consultation and participation of personnel (a collaborative style) is typical of the current paradigm.

The following quotation of Senge (1996: 45) encapsulates the role of the educational leader in a new millennium:

"we are becoming to believe that leaders are those people who `walk ahead', people who are genuinely committed to deep change in themselves and in their organizations. They lead through developing new skills, capabilities, and understandings. And they come from many places in the organization."

This is also true for educational leaders in South Africa.

3.4 The management of the spontaneous emotional climate of a group

Planalp (1999: 98) refers to Flam that contends that there are a lot of modem corporations that encourage feelings of anxiety and fear in their personnel. This is especially the case with powerful cultures. Staff may feel anxious and fearful but the open expression of fear is not allowed, therefore one gets "an anxiety-laden, but enthusiasm-displaying corporate world".

Planalp argues that emotion suppression and control, rather than emotional spontaneity, are more valued and that there is "a deep-seated cultural belief that rationality is goal-oriented, productive, objective, and professional, whereas emotionality is chaotic, distracting, capricious, and personal".Reason should therefore control emotion and personal feelings "should be left at home".

Planalp (ibid) contends that emotion is seen differently in alternative organizations, for instance the social change organization where emotion is seen as a valuable resource that is beneficial for decision-making, which motivates action, binds the group together and acts as a catalyst for stress and conflict. During a time of social and unprecedented change in an education system, like in the current education system in South Africa, and where educators might be fearful of rapid changes, the strategic communication of emotion can be valuable because "a worried, distracted, or distressed employee is not giving his or her best to the group" (Planalp, 1999: 100).

3.5 The role of metaphors in the management of change

Managing change is one of the most substantial and complicated managerial tasks of the principal in the current South Africa. In this regard a study of metaphors can be of great help to the educational manager.

3.5.1 What are metaphors?

According to Morgan (1994:4) metaphors are ways of thinking and seeing our world in general. Metaphors are used whenever an attempt is made to understand one element of experience in terms of another element, namely A is like B. However, metaphors provide a kind of one-sided insight because attention is drawn to certain characteristics. The same organization can just as well have other characteristics. The metaphor invites us (according to Morgan, 1997:5) to see similarities but ignore differences, therefore metaphors are paradoxical because it stretches the imagination in the sense that it can create powerful insights about the nature of organizations and how it should be shaped but at the risk of distortion. Metaphors are beneficial for educational managers because according to Morgan (1997:8) it "offers a way of thinking that is crucial for understanding, managing, and designing organizations in a changing world".

3.5.2 The metaphor of organizations as emblems of flux and transformation

A metaphor which might be valuable to view in a time where schools are becoming more complex and ambiguous is "Organizations as emblems of flux and transformation" (Morgan 1997: 251-300).

According to this metaphor organizations are both ordered and chaotic. However, coherent order emerges, according to Morgan (1997:262), always "out of the randomness and surface chaos"! An example here is for instance a colony of termites which are building their nest where random movements in the end produce coherent, wonderful structures and "architecture".

3.5.3 The image of the "butterfly effect"

Another interesting facet of the abovementioned metaphor is the image of the "butterfly effect" which refers to changes, which seem insignificant but which trigger qualitative changes. The butterfly triggers a small change, that triggers another small change, that triggers another small change. These small changes "ultimately shift a system from the influence of one attractor pattern to another" (Morgan, 1997:265).

3.5.4 Implications for educational managers

According to Morgan (1997:266-274) these insights have implications for the managers of modern organizations because they implicate that the manager should:

1) rethink the meaning of the organization, especially the meaning of the hierarchy and control of the organization; and

2) learn how to manage and change contexts.

An organization exists of different interwoven aspects, one aspect influences the other and certain aspects cannot be compartmentalized. Change in one section of the school will influence the school as a whole so that the whole school will be changed. New actions can also help to create new contexts, for instance changes in key personnel, which may affect the whole school. An example here is to appoint a few black educators in schools that were traditionally schools for only white learners.

3.6 Other facets of change as a reaction to the current problems in South African schools

Facets of the management of change as a reaction to the current problems in South African schools like disputed and disrupted authority relations between principals, educators and learners, poor school results, violence in and out of schools and poor attendance by educators and learners are the following:

* the learning organization philosophy which enables the creation of learning cultures and an environment for lifelong learning through a culture of collaboration and commitment; and

* professional staff development as institutional development.

4. CONCLUSION

It is therefore clear that, in order to manage change effectively, educational managers should never stop learning.

This article is encapsulated in the following words of Fullan (1993:viii):

"'Change forces' is a deliberate double entendre. Change is ubiquitous and relentless, forcing itself on us at every turn. At the same time, the secret of growth and development is learning how to contend with the forces of change - turning positive forces to our advantage, while blunting negative ones. The future of the world is a learning future."

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alfreds, L.A. (1996). Arson attack at race-torn school. Star, March 12:1.

Beeld-Kommentaar. (1996). Euro of Afro. Beeld, 26 February 1996:8.

Bush, T. & Middlewood, D. (Eds.) (1997). Managing people in education. London: Paul Chapman.

Davies, B. & Ellison, L. (1999) School leadership for the 21 st century: a competency and know]edge approach, London: Routledge.

Davies, B. & West-Burnham, J. (1997). Reengineering and Total Quality in schools: how to reform and restructure your school to meet the challenge of the future. London: Pitman.

Du Preez, H. (1998). Om in beheer te wees teenoor in te pas. Beeld, 2 Julie 1998:10.

Erasmus, M. & Van der Westhuizen, P.C. (1996). Organization development and the quality of working life in Schools as organizations, edited by P.C. van der Westhuizen. Pretoria: Van Schaik: 197-239.

Fullan, M.G. (1993). Change forces: probing the depths of educational reform. London: Falmer.

Garret, V. (1997). Managing change. In: School leadership for the 21st century: a competency and knowledge approach, Davies, B. & Ellison, E. (Eds.) London and New York: Routledge. 95-117.

Gray, H. (1999). Personal interview 12 August 1999, Pretoria: Unisa.

Gray, H. (2000). Personal interview 21 September 2000. Lancaster.

Gronn, P. (1999). The making of educational leaders. London: Cassell.

Hargreaves, A. (1994). Changing teachers, changing times. London: Cassell.

Hartley, W.(1996).Mother tongue education: no disguise for racism. Business Day, February 26:4.

Hesselbein, F., Goldsmith, M. & Beckhard (eds) (1996). The leader of the future. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Leithwood, K. , Jantz, D. & Steinbach, R. (1999). Changing leadership for changing times. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Lemmer, E.M. (1997). Introduction to Education for South African teachers. Kenwyn:Juta.

Mawditt, R. (1988). Strategic planning and analysing. Paper read during a seminar on the management of higher educational institutions, 1-3 April 1998. Senate Hall, Unisa: Pretoria.

Morgan, G. (1997). Images of organization. London: Sage.

Planalp, S. (1999). Communicating emotion: social, moral and cultural processes.Cambridge: University Press.

Roueche, J., Baker, G. & Rose, R. (1989). Shared vision: transformational leadership in American community colleges.Washington DC. The Community College Press.

Senge, P. (1996). Leading learning organizations: the bold, the powerful, and the invisible, in F.Hesselbein, M.Goldsmith & R. Beckhard (eds) The leader of the future. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Steyn, G.M. (1997). Schools in transition, in Introduction to Education for South African teachers, Lemmer, E.M. & Badenhorst, D.C. pp. 137-186. Kenwyn: Juta.

Van der Linde, C.H. (2000). Managing educational change and development. Study guide 85018. BEd. Educational Management. Melville: RAU Centre for Distance Education, Rand Afrikaans University.

Weindling, D.(1997). Secondary headship: the first year. Barkshire: Windsaw.

Whitaker, P. (1997). Primary schools and the future. Buckingham: Philadelphia.

DR CH VAN DER LINDEN FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND NURSING

Rand Afrikaans University

PO Box 524, AUCKLAND PARK, 2006, Republic of South Africa

Copyright Project Innovation Spring 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved