Abstract
Ethical leadership is central to leadership and everything that goes on in schools. While considerable research has been dedicated to ethics, less attention has been focused on ethical leadership in Education, especially in South Africa. This study investigated Ethical Leadership challenges at two primary and two secondary schools in Katlehong Township in Ekurhuleni South District of the Gauteng Province, South Africa. The study followed a Convergent Parallel Mixed-Methods Design (CPMMD). The findings were analysed thematically using univariate and discourse analyses. The themes that emerged through the study included the “Understanding of ethical leadership, Leadership education and development, Staff recruitment processes, Principals’ professionalism, Procurement processes, Principal appointment procedures and practices, Principal/School support structures”.
The study recommends that initial teacher training Curricula be strengthened by including in-depth ethical leadership teaching as a strong foundation for future ethical leadership in schools.