Experiences of school leadership preparation and development in Lesotho

Issues of school leadership and management in Lesotho are guided by the Education Act 2010, which clearly spells out the role of school principals as managers of schools in collaboration with school governing boards. In terms of the Act, the only requirement for the appointment of school principals is qualified teaching status, with no provision for any specific form of preparatory training for the principalship. There is a dearth of literature available on school leadership and management in Lesotho and, more particularly, in leadership preparation and development. A recent publication on school leadership preparation and development (Moorosi, 2017) acknowledges the absence of formal leadership preparation in the country yet points to the unique ways in which school principals in Lesotho may consider themselves prepared. This is one of the main points pursued in this chapter, which attempts to highlight different forms of preparing and developing leadership..