Principals’ Leadership and Management Perspective on High School Violence: The South African Case Study

Abstract

The paper sought to explore solutions to revolutionary principal leadership practices for the next generation in contemporary African society. Despite the efforts done by the government, schools continue to be confronted with problems of disruptive behaviour by students and some disrespectful people from the society. The study targeted principals of the Libode Sub-district of OR Tambo District using the purposeful sampling technique. Data was qualitatively collected and the analysis was done thematically. The findings of the study revealed that regulations, acts, and rules set by the DoE are outdated and made it difficult for principals to maintain school discipline. The study further revealed that lack of resources, safety and security contribute to poor leadership practices, drug abuse, and safety leading to disruptive behavior (cases). Also, alternatives measure to corporal punishment in managing school discipline could not solve ill-discipline problems. This paper recommends that policy on drug abuse, safety and security should be revised. There should be also rethinking around the issue of better security and a need for a consolidated and coordinated system in schools. Keywords: Disruptive Behaviour, School Violence and Sexual Harassment