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Current scholarship on school leadership indicates that females at different levels of school leadership face a multitude of challenges related to their function. In an ideal school, the school management team (SMT) comprises the school principal, the deputy principal (DP), and the departmental heads (DH), with DHs tasked with the complex responsibility of leading the learning and teaching programme in the school. Based on their department roles, DHs may be referred to as subject leaders, middle managers, curriculum coordinators, and/or curriculum managers. DHs are middle managers in the school hierarchy, acting as a link between the teachers and the school principal. This puts pressure on their role as curriculum managers in the school, as they have to ensure that all teachers under their authority are inducted, mentored, monitored, evaluated, and provided with all the necessary tools to perform their duties. DHs tend to be faced with other challenges that threaten the peace and security of their jobs. Among these are negative attitudes, incompetence, and the absenteeism of colleagues. In addition, there are challenges of lack of parental involvement, the unruly behaviour of learners, substandard student academic performance, inadequate budgets, and lack of resources and physical facilities. The magnitude of these challenges becomes intensified when the DH in charge is a female, as unequal power relations and societal patriarchal tendencies tend to infiltrate the school system. Adopting a qualitative research approach, using focus group discussions with five purposively selected female departmental heads in two KwaZulu-Natal districts, this study aimed to examine the experiences of female DHs in school leadership regarding the gendered nature of their experiences. The study involved investigating the roles of DHs according to the legislative framework, understanding the gender disparities between male and female DHs in South African schools, uncovering the challenges and barriers experienced by female DHs, and exploring leadership and development opportunities available to DHs.

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Heads, Hearts, and Hands: Leadership Experiences of Female Departmental Heads in the South African Basic Education System

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Buhle Stella Nhlumayo

摘要

Current scholarship on school leadership indicates that females at different levels of school leadership face a multitude of challenges related to their function. In an ideal school, the school management team (SMT) comprises the school principal, the deputy principal (DP), and the departmental heads (DH), with DHs tasked with the complex responsibility of leading the learning and teaching programme in the school. Based on their department roles, DHs may be referred to as subject leaders, middle managers, curriculum coordinators, and/or curriculum managers. DHs are middle managers in the school hierarchy, acting as a link between the teachers and the school principal. This puts pressure on their role as curriculum managers in the school, as they have to ensure that all teachers under their authority are inducted, mentored, monitored, evaluated, and provided with all the necessary tools to perform their duties. DHs tend to be faced with other challenges that threaten the peace and security of their jobs. Among these are negative attitudes, incompetence, and the absenteeism of colleagues. In addition, there are challenges of lack of parental involvement, the unruly behaviour of learners, substandard student academic performance, inadequate budgets, and lack of resources and physical facilities. The magnitude of these challenges becomes intensified when the DH in charge is a female, as unequal power relations and societal patriarchal tendencies tend to infiltrate the school system. Adopting a qualitative research approach, using focus group discussions with five purposively selected female departmental heads in two KwaZulu-Natal districts, this study aimed to examine the experiences of female DHs in school leadership regarding the gendered nature of their experiences. The study involved investigating the roles of DHs according to the legislative framework, understanding the gender disparities between male and female DHs in South African schools, uncovering the challenges and barriers experienced by female DHs, and exploring leadership and development opportunities available to DHs.