Abstract
The central theoretical argument of this paper is that educational leadership and organisational development and change in educational institutions in developing countries will not be effective unless school leaders are aware of the challenges posed by contextual factors that might have an impact on their professional activities. The article contributes to the discourse on educational leadership in developing countries by explicating three such sets of contextual forces that educational leadership ought to take into account: (1) the contours of the education system in which school leadership, organisational change and development occur; (2) societal and (3) international contexts. These forces are viewed through Cultural Historical Activity Theory as theoretical lens, and then illustrated with findings from an empirical study in a developing country. The article concludes with a strategic plan for exercising school leadership that takes contextual conditions into account. Keywords: developing countries; educational context; educational leadership; organisational development and change; societal context
Highlights
Introduction and Problem StatementThe conviction of late South African President Nelson Mandela that “education is the most powerful weapon you have to change the world” (Van der Rheede, 2009:1) is currently being realised by efforts to expand education to all parts of the world
Contextual forces that educational leadership should take into account are the contours of the education system in which school leadership, organisational change and development are to occur, as well as societal and international contexts
Theoretical Framework We examined the potential of several theories to explain the dynamics of what occurs in a community and/or a school, in times of change and development
Summary
Introduction and Problem StatementThe conviction of late South African President Nelson Mandela that “education is the most powerful weapon you have to change the world” (Van der Rheede, 2009:1) is currently being realised by efforts to expand education to all parts of the world. As a result of such, even less developed countries invest large proportions of their public resources in education (Naidoo & Peterson, 2015:1–3; Rajbhandari, 2011:4) It could be claimed, that the success of educational change and reform to an extent depends on the quality of the leadership in educational institutions in the country in question (cf Hallinger & Heck, 2011:149–150). There has been a tendency among scholars of educational leadership to restrict the parameters of school leadership to matters that pertain directly to the institution in question (see Van der Westhuizen, 2013; Wolcott, 2003). School leadership in the Masaiti District in Zambia offers an example of how schools and their leaders experience external pressures such as these, as a result of the modernisation process that the surrounding community is undergoing (see empirical report below)
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