Abstract
Female leaders possess qualities to improve schools post the COVID-19 pandemic. They used these qualities as strategies to deal with challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to investigate how female leaders‟ experiences and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic contribute to school improvement post the COVID-19 pandemic era. The study employed a qualitative approach to investigate strategies and interventions female leaders used to lead post the COVID-19 pandemic. Four female leaders from two schools in Gauteng Province, Ekurhuleni North District were purposively selected for the research study. Semi-structured interviews and observations were used to collect data. Thematic analysis was used for this research study and themes were identified. The main findings are that female leaders used teamwork, shared leadership and teachers‟ professional development as strategies to lead. Female leaders also used good practices, such as empathy, respect and effective communication for leading post the pandemic.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Effective leadership, Female leaders, School improvement, Shared leadership, Teamwork.