The role of governors and teachers' unions in the promotion of senior management in public schools in the City of Durban district, 1997-2000

Abstract

This research investigates the role of school governors and teachers' unions in the management of the promotion process for principal and deputy principal posts in selected public primary and secondary schools in the City of Durban District during the period 1997 to 2000. The. study is concerned with exposing the problems in the present selection procedure by evaluating it and seeking ways to improve its implementation and thereby strengthening the role of school governors and teachers' unions in the process. It is the function of the governing body of a public school to appoint a promotions committee which selects personnel for promotion posts at schools. The selection process is fraught with many difficulties such as the lack of proper training for selectors, illiterate selectors, nepotism, bias and intimidation by selectors. This research investigates the inadequacies, which exist in the selection process. The issues investigated include the process of selection of staff for promotion posts, the competence of the selectors, the criteria used for selecting and the problems experienced by the selectors. The investigation is executed using the qualitative research method. The instruments used in this investigation are observation, a review of related literature and structured interviews with different members of the promotions committee. In South Africa there is very little theoretical research available on the topic. The researcher has had to draw on literature concerning the promotion of teachers in Local Education Authority (LEA) schools in England and Wales. Recommendations for improvement include adequate training of selectors, greater involvement by officials from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Culture to keep nepotism in check, more realistic time frames for shortlisting and interviewing, gradual progression of candidates from Level One to Level Four, verification of information supplied on the curricula vitae of the candidates prior to the interviews, competent people serving on the selection panels and more stringent minimum criteria for eligibility for senior posts.een conducted.