Collaborating with different stakeholders

The data suggests that circuit managers worked with different stakeholder to ensure that a conducive environment for teaching and learning is created. Skhwelo stated that she spent a lot of time dealing with different stakeholders so that an environment that supports teaching and learning is created in her schools. She engaged both traditional leaders like Izinduna and Amakhosi (Chiefs) as well as elected leaders like councillors and mayors. She also involved police, the priests and the local municipality officials.

I involve all the stakeholders the police, the Induna, the priest, district director, local municipality we meet with all of them and talk to the children and the elders depending on who caused the fights, at the end the problem is solved. In some schools that I was forced to close the school. The Induna intervened by stating that anyone who wants to go

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back the school must first come to him and get a letter that will allow him or her to go back and be re admitted at school.

Skhakhane, who has schools in his circuit that experience gangsterism, stated that in an attempt to sustain and support teaching and learning in these schools he had mandated his school principals to develop a relationship between their schools and the South African Police Services (SAPS) through the establishment of Safety and Security Committees. He went further and explained that the Department of Education has mandated that all schools must have Safety and Security Committees. These committees work hand in hand with SAPS by having the local SAPS adopting each school and have one police officer who will be responsible for that school. Skhakhane stated that, from his experience, this relationship improves communication between the schools and SAPS, because schools have a person they can directly call. This is what Skhakhane has to say:

Each school is supposed to have a Safety and Security Committee. Each school is allocated an officer who adopts the school. As a circuit manager I ensure that this committee is created and is functional by looking at its meeting minutes and helping with creating good relationship with the SAPS officer through regular contact with a police officer in charge of officers who adopts my schools.

Furthermore, it emerged from the data that circuit managers play an important role of mobilising the community structures and leadership to motivate parents to be active participants in the education of their children. Skhwelo lamented the poor parental involvement in some of her schools. She indicated that she worked with community leaders because these leaders are well respected in the community. She however shared her unhappiness that active participation improves after the traditional leader’s intervention and decreases after some time. This is what she said:

We talk to the community leaders, Izinduna, to motivate parental involvement and members of the community about how important education and how important for them as parents to play a role in their children education. This goes a long way in helping as those people still respect what is being ordered by the chiefs or headman. It gets better once they intervene though at times as the time goes on tends to decline

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but it helps a lot. When we go to report to the induna and he calls a meeting we see result instantly.

Raymond indicated that the community structures are very supportive of the work they do. He also stated that there is so much respect for their work. He further added that the community structures, which include the Police Service, Izinduna and the Chief, want to work with them and they seem to rely on them for possible solutions.

Whenever there is an issue… for example if learners attack their teachers, I bring in the councillor, the Induna, the Chief, the community, the police service. In the broader community co-operation is excellent. They like to see things getting resolved all the time. They ask us, the department to come, they expect us to come there and give them a solution.

Skhakhane shared his that in some of his schools he has asked the SGB to co-opt one representative of the chief to serve in the SGB. This person will be the eyes and ears of the Chief. This person will be the responsible for dealing with social issues in the community that interfere with education.

There should be a person who is seconded by the chief, who has interest in education a person who has knowledge in the area. The age should not be consideration as long as this person has knowledge about education. This person must sit in the Governing Body he must be co-opted. His responsibility is to listen to social challenges facing the school, for example the issue of break-ins in the schools, robbery that affects the teachers where teachers’ cell phones are taken from them.

Another important stakeholder that circuit managers work with is teacher union. It emerged that circuit managers engage teacher unions. Skhwelo indicated that among the things she did to support teaching and learning is holding bilateral discussions with teacher unions.

Another thing I do is bilateral with unions, where labour issues are discussed.

Myeza highlighted that she engaged teacher unions so that labour peace can be maintained in her circuit. This she did by holding bilateral meetings with teacher unions four times per year.

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She also mentioned that the lines of communication are open between them when the other issues that needed discussion arise.

We try to work with unions to keep labour peace. We hold meetings with Unions, bi-laterals, we have planned bilaterals which are four times per year. If however there some issues that come up or if they feel there is something they would like us to discuss they will call for an urgent meeting and discus that.

The views echoed by participants above were corroborated by document analysis of circuit managers’ year plans (see Figure 7 below). From this year plan, it is clear that this circuit manager has two bilateral meetings with teacher unions scheduled for the month.

Figure 7: Extract from Skhwelo’s year plan

Skhwelo explained that she preferred to engage unions before any drastic measure is taken against an ill-disciplined teacher. Skhwelo added that she reported teachers’ ill-discipline to unions who also try to discipline their members and sometimes it works. If it does not and the teacher is formally charged, it makes the job of the circuit manager easy when the formal disciplinary measures are to be taken against that educator, as unions will not try to defend the teacher and frustrate the process. This is what Skhwelo had to say:

…before I charged that educator, I firstly made the Union aware and they tried to discipline the educator. At first it worked but as time went by the

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problem started again so I ended up intervening as the 14 days had lapsed without the teacher at work. The educator was eventually suspended. I had to use the law in this case and the teacher had to be suspended. The union just represented her to make sure the process was fair.

The circuit manager worked with these unions to solve these disputes that arise from appointment of principal processes because it is very important for the school to have a permanently appointed principal. If they fail to resolve these issues, they are referred to the district. This what Skhwelo had to say:

When there are disputes, we usually sit down and talk about it and if we do not agree the district takes over the process.

The conflict resolution role of a circuit manager emerges in these sub-themes. Circuit managers seem to work very hard to help create an environment that support teaching and learning. To be able to secure this environment, they have to work with all the stakeholders. They need to eliminate sources of conflict’ at times this task seemed too much for them, especially when dealing with unions.