The roles of middle managers in schools: A study conducted in the Itsoseng Circuit

Abstract

The quality of teaching and learning is the first priority of the Department of Education and Training. Middle managers are responsible for quality of teaching and learning. For them to monitor teaching and learning effectively and efficiently, they should be able to manage specific tasks such as planning, leading and evaluating successfully. Middle managers need to assist the teachers in imparting the knowledge they have to the learners. This will happen only if middle managers arc knowledgeable and have skills in management and administrative roles. They arc expected to give support to teachers and learners. Instead middle managers do not understand the departmental policies and Acts. They should be well equipped for them to perform their duties with confidence. A literature study and empirical research was undertaken and the roles of middle managers were explored. A number of their duties were also explored. Qualitative in-depth interviews formed the basis of the empirical research. Finally a content analysis was used to categorise and evaluate data. The findings revealed that middle managers are experiencing many challenges in their roles. These challenges contribute to a large extent to their personal effectiveness. They should be given relevant support. The Department of Education and Training should take an upper hand in training and inducting middle managers and teachers for them to excel in their roles. Recommendations in this study showed the need to train middle managers in their roles. An induction programme for newly appointed SMTs is viewed as ideal. Workshops are recommended for both middle managers and teachers. The study finally identified areas where further study should be done.