Abstract
M.Comm.
Since the inception of strategic planning, the different schools of thought, scholars, management practitioners and other disciplines have over-emphasised the importance of strategic planning in the world of work. Much emphasis was directed at the business world, ignoring the field of education. Lemmer (1994:225) evidently re-affirms that although there is a wealth of literature in this field, much of the research has been conducted in educational change, and little has been done in strategic planning and the management of change in schools. In consistency with Lemmer (1994: 225), Bush (2004:125) asserts that much of the focus on strategic planning was on profit-making business.
The need for strategic planning in the education institutions has been intensified because of the severe resource constraints and increased expectations for accountability from external constituents such as state, provincial and national government. Welsch et al. (2006:45) re-affirm that strategic planning has become more important as colleges and universities attempt to navigate difficulties in confusing economic political and policy environments. It was also discovered that research and commentary on planning in higher education contains a handful of themes that consistently emerge in discussion about the difficulties in articulating and implementing institutional strategy.
If strategic planning is properly implemented, evaluated and controlled, schools and higher education institutions will be able to align their resources with structure, strategies, human resources and other activities to ensure effective utilisation of resources that will maximise their performances and academic results. The outlined notion is confirmed by Welsh et al. (2006:115) who postulate that large organisations, including colleges and universities, need sophisticated planning processes to optimise the attainment of organisational goals. Finally, Ehlers and Luzenberg(2005:35) cited the successes of the two wealthiest non-profit organisation, namely the Roman Catholic Churches and Harvard Business School who in the world built their success and growth on strategic management.
It should be noted that although the study focuses on strategic planning, it does not mean to suggest that other potential factors that cause failure in schools are ignored. Most of our learners, parents and communities are still living on hope that Education Institutions are having the abilities and capabilities of overcoming most of the challenges in future. The outlined notion above attempts to map-out the core of the study.
This study acknowledges the strategic planning as a concept is difficult to quantify, and even more difficult to implement in today’s business environment. Investigation in-depth and with meticulous attention to detail will add value to the study.