The management of educator misconduct in township schools

M.Ed.Many township schools are not effective in providing quality education. Managing educator misconduct in township schools is a research project which investigates the nature of educator misconduct in township schools and its impact on school management. It also investigates how educator misconduct is managed in these schools and provides guidelines to alleviate the problem of educator misconduct in township schools. Therefore, the research question was: "What are the nature and consequences of educator misconduct in township schools and how should educator misconduct be managed?" The aims were to identify, describe and discuss the nature and consequences of educator misconduct~ to understand the role of stakeholders in the management of educator misconduct~ and to discuss guidelines for managing educator misconduct. A qualitative research strategy was used in this research project. A literature study was conducted before and during this research project in order to provide a theoretical background to this research project. Data were collected through individual in-depth and focus group interviews with the principals and educators of three township secondary schools. Interview data were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim and analysed using the constant comparative method. Four themes emerged from data analysis. The first theme is common types of educator misconduct. This includes absenteeism and tardiness, where educators absent themselves from school without giving valid reasons and also go late to classes~ insubordination or a lack of respect for the principal's authority and using corporal punishment regardless of the fact that it has been legally banned. The second theme is the awareness of regulations regulating educator misconduct. In this theme it was revealed that educators and principals are aware of the Education Department policies on educator misconduct and the SACE code of ethics for educators, but disregard them nonetheless. The third theme viz. the effect of educator misconduct on schools, revealed that learners are adversely affected by educator misconduct since educators do not spend most of the time teaching them in classes. This theme also revealed that other educators are negatively affected by the prevalence of educator misconduct in their schools and that the whole school image is also tainted. The fourth theme discussed how educator misconduct is managed in township schools. This includes the procedures used by principals in dealing with cases of educator misconduct; the role played by the Department of Education in helping the principals deal with educator misconduct; the role of the school governing bodies and the role of the parents. Based on the literature and interview data, the research concludes by making a number of recommendations as to how principals can reduce the problem of educator misconduct in schools