Abstract
One of the critical challenges facing the process of educational transformation is to
reorientate the roles of local education personnel (District personnel) towards
improving school management.
District Education Co-ordinators (DEC's), formerly school inspectors, play a crucial .
role in improving the quality of management found at our schools.
The aim of this research was to investigate the views and perceptions of stakeholders
at schools on the management role of the District Education Co-ordinators. Such an"
aim would assist in redefining the District Education Co-ordinators role and then
identify aspects involved in the management training of District Education Coordinators.
This research pointed out that the educators from all schools demand high levels of
management competence from District Education Co-ordinators. It seems to be an
established fact that DEC's should demonstrate advanced competence in the field of
education management and development. The need to effectively manage the
relationship between the Districts (as represented by DEC's) and the schools should
be a basis for the success of any school/ District management strategy.
Building relationships should, among other things, include redefining roles,
communicating expectations and dealing in a systematic fashion with resistance to
educational transformation.
The major findings of this research were that all educators at schools expressed a
need for management support from DEC's with educators from ex model C schools
showing the lowest need for such support.
Literature reviewed in this research clearly indicated that the DEC's management role
has to be based within relevant education management models while at the same
time responding to contextual factors.