Resistance to School Mergers by Traditional Leaders, Principals and Parents

This article reports on a study that was prompted by the resistance to school mergers by local communities in the rural region of Limpopo, South Africa. Traditional leaders, who are prominent people in rural communities, were at the forefront of protests against school mergers. Thus, it was necessar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Africa education review 2020-03, Vol.17 (2), p.122-136
Main Authors: Naicker, Suraiya R., Mkhabele, Ntiyiso N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquisitions & mergers
Change management
Community
Community heritage
Community Leaders
Community Relations
Consolidated Schools
Cultural heritage
Cultural values
Demonstrations & protests
Education authorities
Foreign Countries
Head teachers
Interviews
Leaders
Management of change
Mergers
Organizational Change
Parents
Principals
Qualitative research
Research Methodology
Resistance
Resistance to Change
Rural areas
Rural communities
Rural regions
Rural Schools
School merger
Schools
Semi Structured Interviews
Traditional leader
Transportation
Villages
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Summary:This article reports on a study that was prompted by the resistance to school mergers by local communities in the rural region of Limpopo, South Africa. Traditional leaders, who are prominent people in rural communities, were at the forefront of protests against school mergers. Thus, it was necessary to investigate the tensions experienced by the community during the school merger process to determine the causes of the resistance. The study was conducted within a qualitative research approach using face-to-face, semi-structured interviews as the method of data collection. Six participants formed the sample comprising two traditional leaders, two principals and two parents. A significant finding was that resistance to school mergers stemmed from the cultural beliefs of the community who view schools as symbols of heritage. Another finding that emerged from the study was that a merger is precipitated by poor consultation between the Department of Education (DoE) and the community. A constraining factor in the school merger process is the provision of reliable transport for learners to travel to schools in neighbouring villages. Therefore, it is recommended that the DoE engages in discussions with stakeholders well before the merger process starts. Effective dialogue is required to discuss the community's concerns and find appropriate solutions.
ISSN:1814-6627
1753-5921
DOI:10.1080/18146627.2018.1534548