Legislative framework for IQMS

IQMS is a government policy as stipulated in schedule 1 of the Employment of Educators Act (EEA) No 76 of 1998. This Act requires a teacher to perform according to set standards; educator performance is evaluated on a regular basis in order to improve professional practice for quality teaching and learning. The EEA was supported by resolution 8 of the National Education Labour Relations Council of 2003. IQMS integrated the DAS, PMS and WSE systems.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 section 195(h), promotes good human resource and career-development practices in order to maximize human potential. Therefore, the IQMS has been promulgated in order to ensure compliance and accountability to the public about the performance of schools. The South African Schools Act, 1996 section 20(1)(a) mandates school governing bodies to promote the best interests of the school and strive to ensure its development through the provision of quality education.

The EEA, Section 3, Chapter C introduced the DAS which determines the terms and conditions of employment of educators. This system was intended to appraise individual educators in a transparent manner with a view to determining strengths and weaknesses and formulating development programmes (Loock, Grobler &

Mestry, 2006:64). The DAS aimed to facilitate the personal and professional development of educators in order to improve the quality of teaching practice and education management. The following features define the DAS: legitimacy, flexibility, feasibility and simplicity. The implementation of the DAS requires the following:

 Learning culture at institutions

 Democratic organizational climate

 Commitment of educators to development

 Openness and trust

The purpose of performance measurement is to evaluate individual teachers for salary progression, grade progression, confirmation of appointments and rewards

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and incentives (Loock et al., 2006:64). Summative evaluation determines the link or qualification for pay or grade progression in IQMS processes.

There are four main characteristics of performance measurement:

 Performance management is a process rather than an event; it should permeate the organizational culture on a daily basis and must not be considered an annual form filling exercise to gain instant reward.

 The process should be used to generate increased understanding of what the organization is trying to achieve.

 It is a way of managing people that ensures that objectives are achieved through appropriate lines of accountability.

 Performance management is about people sharing in the success of the organization to which they have contributed.

Performance measurement systems have recently been the subject of considerable attention and they are expected to provide numerous and important advantages in the workplace. The following are some of the positive effects of performance management:

 Collaboration between employer and employee with positive behavior

 Creation of a competitive environment among employees to perform their work in the shortest time, at the lowest cost and with the highest quality level.

 A decision-making tool that allows managers quick and reliable access to employee performance, and to monitor the overall performance of their organization.

 A human resource management tool that motivates employees to perform better.

 Cost reductions through a decrease in the number of administrative personnel, office space, and equipment, archiving space, etc.

 Assists the organization to make the best use of resources, such as time, cost, manpower, machinery and materials.

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The ELRC (2003:3) defines the purpose of WSE as the evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the school, management, support from the department, infrastructure, and learning material as well as the quality of learning and teaching.

Collective Agreement No. 3 of 2002: Performance Management and Development System for Office Based Educators, aimed to identify, evaluate and develop office-based educators’ performance. This agreement applies to and binds the employer and all employees as defined in the EEA, 1998 whether or not such employees are members of the trade unions party to the agreement.

The implementation of the PMS and DAS is envisaged to be completed within a calendar year. Both PMS and DAS are intended to strengthen WSE. The overall purpose of these policies was to improve the quality of teaching practice, and build commitment and trust amongst schools. Gordon (2006, p268) argued that, “it is essential that professional development and accountability should be combined for purpose of unity and coherence for an effective evaluation”. Therefore the ELRC, 2003:3 explains that the core of these quality assurance initiatives lies in the measurement of the work performance of the individual educator.

IQMS is a democratic process for monitoring the performance of individual educators by DSGs which is also a support group for the educator (ELRC, 2002; DoE, 2003:

DoE, 2005). School Management Team currently participates in various DSGs without leading and accountability. Accountability for poor or the good performance of an educator was not part of the principal’s responsibility. This runs counter to the Education Law Amendment Act of 2007:12 that states that, principals are managers of school resources, both physical and financial, educators and curriculum implementation.

2.12 INTEGRATED QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AS A PUBLIC POLICY

The concept policy is used in so many fields of activity that one would not expect its definition to be a simple matter. There have been numerous studies of public policy and aspects of it such as environment policy. However, there is no general agreement on the definition of public policy. Cameron (1991:131) notes that not only

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is there little agreement as to what constitutes public policy, when it comes to the subject matter of public policy as a concept, there is a wide range of disparate definitions. However, Dye (1995:3) observes that scholars tend to agree on the goals of public policy, namely, the maintenance and improvement of human welfare.

Anderson (2007:4) examines public policy in terms of problem-solution and states that it is a relatively stable, purposive course of action followed by an actor or set of actors to deal with a problem or matter of concern. Dye (1995:3) adds that realistically, the notion of public policy must include all actions of government, as well as the inactivity of government; indeed public policy is what governments choose to do, or not to do. It is contended that government inaction, that is, what governments decide not to do, can have just as great an impact on society as government actions.

De Coning (in Cloete & Wissink 2006:11) looks at public policy in terms of resource allocation; the authoritative allocation through the political process, of values to groups or individuals in the society.

2.13 IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRATED QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM POLICY

The concept of public policy, as variously defined, tends to have specific objectives which are the outcomes and the implications of the policy for the environment. The following may be deduced: Firstly, public policies are purposive or goal-oriented.

This means that they are designed to accomplish specified goals or produce specific results, although these may not always be achieved. As noted, this is due to the fact that every public policy is formulated in response to or in order to prevent a problem likely to occur that has been identified in the environment (Anderson, 2007:5-6).

Secondly, public policies enacted by legislatures are processed in government institutions. This could be at national, provincial and local spheres of government.

Consequently, implementation occurs over time, which could also have an impact on the success or otherwise of the policy. This is because policies are enacted to be implemented in the future. Thirdly, policy implementation is described as what happens after a bill becomes law; this requires a further process, where those who determine and implement the policy and those who are affected by the policy

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determine if it has really worked. This study analyses the implementation of the policy of IQMS in selected schools, and its influence in improving learning and teaching in order to ascertain the extent to which implementing the policy has made any difference (Hanekom, 1992:89).

The purpose of introducing IQMS policy was to address the problems associated with teaching and learning identified as part of the reason for poor performance in schools. Implementation involves officials in the Department of Education and schools who put the law into effect; it is therefore necessary to examine policy implementation processes in order to evaluate the results and effect improvement where necessary (Cloete, in Doyle 2002:191: Anderson, 2007:201).

2.14 CHALLENGES IN IQMS POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

As a human phenomenon, policy implementation is confronted by inherent problems.

One of the features of public policy is that it is an anticipated solution to a problem.

In other words policy is made for the future. As such, new and unanticipated problems may be encountered during implementation. Furthermore, due to time, information or expertise constraints, public policies are sometimes framed in general terms, and the formulation of the details of the policies for implementation purposes is left to the implementers, who may substitute their views for those of the policy-maker (Hanekom, 1992:61). Policy needs to be reviewed continuously to address such unintended problems. In some instances, there may be few incentives for public managers to correctly implement policies, especially if there is no link to the Department’s performance management system. A lack of consultation amongst stakeholders and insufficient transparency can also hinder effective implementation.

Public policy implementation needs to be effective if the identified problem is to be addressed and in order to improve living standards. The policy to be implemented should be translated so that it is understood correctly. It needs to be mediated through continuous implementation workshops to create clarity and more understanding of the policy objectives. Public officials who implement the policy could have contributed to its initiation. Their views and biases should not be

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disregarded; instead the intention of the policy-maker should be considered. Policies are usually written in legal language, and officials, especially if they have no legal training, may experience difficulty in translating them into everyday language which the public can understand.

The translating of the policy should identify its objectives, the definition of the issue to be addressed or solved by the policy, and any unintended conflicts or new problems arising from the policy. Policy implementation is a process on its own that requires the thorough engagement of relevant participants for the benefit of the public. In systems theory, inputs, processes and outputs work interdependently and feedback is necessary to ensure that the process of feedback continues.

There should be sufficient resources available to implement the policy. The provision of financial resources, materials and personnel to government institutions at national and lower tiers of government for the execution of specific tasks could enhance policy implementation. Policy should be implemented as an orchestrated effort by the policy implementers. Legislators, public officials, courts of law, interest groups and the public should work together to ensure successful implementation.

Important aspects to consider in this regard are communication and co-operation among all parties, and delegation of authority to all units involved in policy implementation.

2.15 EVALUATING IQMS POLICY

There will always be some differences between the objectives of the policy and what is actually achieved. In other words, policy outputs (what was delivered) and actual policy impacts (results and effects) are often not the same (Hanekom, 1992:90).

Consequently, policy evaluation is necessary to complete the policy-making cycle.

Evaluation involves reporting findings and making judgments on the merits of policy.

Departmental and programme officials will be alert to the possible political consequences of evaluation. If the results do not come out right from their perspective or worse, if the results are negative and come to the attention of

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decision-makers, their programmes, influence, or careers may be thrown into jeopardy. Consequently, programme officials may discourage or refuse to operate evaluation studies, refuse access to data, or keep incomplete records. The quality of the evaluation of policy outcomes can, however, be improved by devoting attention to and applying some flexibility in the inclusion of certain criteria (Hanekom, 192:96):

This study employs the systems theory to analyze the implementation of the IQMS in Cofimvaba schools.

2.16 THE SYSTEMS THEORY

The study utilizes the systems theory to analyse the implementation challenges confronting the IQMS. Dye (1984:40) argues that systems theory can be used to evaluate performance for the rendering of services and management improvement.

A system can be thought of as an organized whole, made up of parts, which are connected and directed to some purpose (Terry, 1977:27). Systems are thus basic to human activities. The systems theory has essential phases or components, and it takes place in a specific environment. Each systems theory has input, processes, and output (Dye, 1984:41). Skyttner (1996:17) agrees that a system is a set of interacting units or elements that form an integrated whole that is intended to perform some function. A general systems theory is concerned with developing a systematic framework of interrelationships among the components of the natural and the man-made world (Weaver, 2002:17).

Figure 2.2: Systems theory in integrated quality management system

iIinwN

External environment Feedback Mechanism

      Internal Environment  

      System  

Input  Out put 

29 Source: Anderson, 2007:18

The systems theory depicted above suggests that a system receives input from the external and internal environments. The output is the end result of the processes within the system. Public, political and social environments that put pressure on the education system to improve school performance are part of input. Public institutions such as schools operate within a particular environment which must be considered

when conducting performance and developmental appraisal systems.

A feedback mechanism provides a formal evaluation to check the relevance of the system; this can be either formative or summative. To be effective and efficient, a system needs review which acts as a feedback mechanism to ascertain whether the output of the system is what it should be; if not, a system should have the ability to adjust its input or processes to improve the output. A feedback mechanism in an IQMS may be automated or manual. This research study therefore aims to establish the effectiveness of the IQMS policy in addressing performance management related issues. Some feedback skills that could improve the effectiveness of work performance are:

 Attempting to develop a flexible relationship of trust as this encourages dialogue.

 Paying careful attention to listening skills.

 Paying continual attention to the conceptual skills that are required for promotion.

 Setting combined improvement goals and making sure that the teacher receives the necessary training to overcome her/his weaknesses.

 Using well thought out questions so that the teacher tells the evaluator about her/his weaknesses without the evaluator having to mention them.

 Always giving feedback about positive performance achievement first.

The diagram of systems theory clearly shows that performance evaluation takes place within a system and should not be seen as an isolated step. The school is the place where education takes place and socio-political factors and administrative functions exert pressure for change. These factors do not coalesce with the responsible determination of work performance and as such they are not part of teacher evaluation. As noted, one cannot change one part of the system without influencing other parts in some way. The model further indicates a severe shortcoming in most teacher evaluation systems throughout the world; that is, the

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design and implementation of evaluation systems are regarded as two separate steps, although they are part of one function. According to Skyttner (1996:17), the systems theory refers to basic human activities as it encompasses inputs, processes, outputs and impacts of the environment.

Furthermore, due to time, information or expertise constraints, public policies are sometimes framed in general terms, and the formulation of the details of the policies for implementation purposes is left to the implementers, who may substitute their views for those of the policy-maker (Hanekom, 1992:61). Policy needs to be reviewed continuously to address such unintended problems.

The evolution of public administration provides the context in which IQMS operates within the development of the New Public Management paradigm. This paradigm is utilized to provide an explanation of the relevance of performance management in public organizations.

2.17 New Public Management Paradigm

New Public Management refers to the distinctive themes, styles and patterns of public service management like the IQMS that have been adopted in the past two decades (Steven and Boonsyk, 2001:487). When New Public Management reforms were introduced in various countries, one central element was the balance between political control and administration of institutions, and professional autonomy in the development of the New Public Management system (Hood, 1995:93). South Africa introduced New Public Management in the early 1980s. Wessels and Pauw (1999:344) suggest that, since its inception, two issues have come to the fore. The first was to adhere to the traditional approach and the second was striving to introduce innovative and new content into the academic efforts and actions of public administration. In support of the latter point of view, Martinez (2001:04) points out that the term performance management was first used in the 1970s; however, it did not become a recognized process until the latter half of the 1980s.

Concurrent with these developments, education reform has been a national and global phenomenon since the early 1980s, with a major focus on managerial restructuring to produce a more responsive and efficient system (Liang and Howard, 2007:393). Contemporary theories in public administration, such as the New Public

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Management suggest a move towards a business style of public management. Pilot and Bouckact (2004:65) argue that the doctrinal components of the New Public Administration consist among other things, of a move towards measurable (or at least checkable) standards for public organizations. These components are more prominent in the business environment. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) lists a group of managerial features in its New Public Management model of reform: developing authority; providing flexibility; ensuring performance; control and accountability; optimizing information technology;

developing competition and choice; improving quality of regulation; improving the management of human resources; and providing responsive services (Gantam, 2008:03).

The New Public Management also emphasizes accountability, whereby government must be held answerable to the public - thereby ensuring the best interests of all citizens. In terms of accepted conventions or legally prescribed process, accountability has evolved to become an enduring and fundamental principle of the Westminster system in modern liberal democracies (Funell, in Dahanayake, 2008:33). A review of the performance measurement literature and legislation reveals that accountability and performance improvement appear to be interchangeable objectives that are the expected benefits of the introduction of performance measurement as a regulatory activity in public entities (Torres et al., 2011:1082). Section 195(1)(f) of the South African Constitution clearly states clearly that public administration must be accountable to the people it serves. Hildebrand and McDavid (2011:42) observe that the early 1990s saw a rapid change in public governance and management. Performance measurement for both accountability and management was the key theme. Public administration reform is increasingly guided by performance-based rakings, as a means of improving efficiency and value-for-money in public service delivery (Dai, 2007:11). In the education sector, reform implies that an IQMS is in place to secure a higher degree of teaching and learning and improved efficiency, effectiveness, economy and appropriateness.