Abstract
M. Ed. (Educational Management)
School principals are primarily.concerned with education and the effective management of the school entrusted to them. Every principal is given a task to do when he is appointed
to or at a school. How successfully he accomplishes his task, and the support that he receives, is highlighted in this study.
The principal is a leader who has to perform a complex number of tasks. He works with both adults and children and as a result the method and style of leadership and management is of great importance. The recognition of the principal as leader in the field of instruction and education within the community is essential for the continued existence
of the school. The primary aim of the school is educative teaching ('opvoedende onderwys'). The school is a social system which consists of a hierarchy of people, with the
principal as the most important manager, and within the system, smaller groups are found. These smaller groups essentially determine the success of failure of the principal's
effective management, and this, by implication, also of the educative teaching within the school. This complex task of the principal becomes more manageable if he is familiar with the interwoven management tasks of planning, organisation, leadership and control. Neglect of one of these will have a detrimental effect on the school. The way in which the management tasks are to be executed should be set out in the school policy. In order to perform the tasks which are laid down by the relevant education authority, effective decision making is essential. A principal who has mastered the technique of good decision making has personal freedom to utilise new opportunities for the benefit of the school.