Abstract
M.Ed.
Providing quality education to all South Africans is the responsibility of both the
National and Provincial Education Departments (South African Schools Act 1996 (Act
No. 86, 1996) The responsibility includes the provision of various kinds of resources
within the limits of a department's financial means. According to Bengu's budget speech
(1996/97) physical, financial and human resources have complementary purposes. Each
in its own right provides for the advancement and effectiveness of the school.
Amongst these resources, human resources are the most costly resource. Bot and Shirley
(1997:18) state that it would appear that the high personnel expenditure undermines the
provinces' ability to provide even minimally adequate resources to support the delivery
of effective education. As a result of the situation, the provinces are unable to finance
essential, non-personnel educational services whose distribution at present is both
inadequate and not equitable. Shortages of resources, overcrowding and poor staffing are
the causes for the high failure rate in the grade 12 examinations. Educators do not
provide learners with quality education mainly due to overcrowded classes and poor
staffing. Public concern over the quality of education and the growing pressure on schools to
become effective make staffing with the best educators the top priority and the most
important aspect (Culture of Learning, Teaching and Services, 1998:3).
From 1994 it has been necessary to renew and restructure education, especially the
staffing of schools, in order to develop the youth of our country to their full potential. From 1994 it has been necessary to renew and restructure education, especially the
staffing of schools, in order to develop the youth of our country to their full potential.
In pursuit of this it is essential that sound guidelines are designed to regulate staffing as
an aspect of human resource development. In the light of preceding information it appears as if the problem above can be focussed
by means of the following questions:
What are characteristics of effective schools?
What are the perceptions of the various stakeholders in respect of staffing as an
aspect of human resources and its implication for school effectiveness? What guidelines can be designed for school principals so that selection of educators and interviewing techniques can possibly be improved? In exploring the problem framed above the general aim of this research project is to
investigate the components of effective schools in Mpumalanga South Africa and the
implication that this may have for the management of schools.
In order the achieve the general aim, the following objectives for this specific research
project are:
to investigate the perceptions of stakeholders in respect of staffing as an aspect of
human resources and its possible impact on school effectiveness; and
to provide guidelines for staffing as an aspect of human resources that could be
recommended to school principals in order to enhance school effectiveness.