The management of induction programme for newly appointed educators in the Ekurhuleni West district.

M.Ed.The core of this study is to review and analyse the management and effectiveness of induction processes for newly-appointed educators as they adjust to their entry into the teaching profession. The study employed a quantitative research method. The aim of the research study was to investigate the perceptions of educators with regard to the management of induction for newly-appointed educators. The study was prompted by the by the need to address challenges arising from a lack of a rigorous induction programme within the Ekurhuleni West District schools. These challenges are in line with the political changes that have taken place in South Africa. From the literature review it is evident that managers are having difficulties in adequately preparing and equipping newly appointed educators for the realities of the teaching profession which include, limited support for educators, unacceptable discipline among learners, overcrowded classes and poor salaries. This research indicates that it is necessary to support educators in a personal capacity in their absorption into the teaching profession. Furthermore, the literature study revealed that educators who are not properly inducted will experience adjustment difficulties at schools which may lead to frustration and loss of confidence and, in some instances, to resignation. It is thus the recommendation of this study that educators be inducted to avoid these unpleasant experiences as well as to prepare a career development path that is customised to individual needs. The researcher used structured questionnaires to gather data. The questionnaire was distributed to 20 schools in the Ekurhuleni West District to determine educators’ perceptions concerning induction. The finding was that, at present, there is no formal system to induct educators in South Africa and the majority of school management teams lack the capacity to induct educators.The recommendation was that school management teams must be trained on how to provide induction, and the workloads of school management teams need to be reduced. There is a need for further research on the induction programmes for Department of Education officials.Dr.L.N Conle