Support for heads of departments in managing teacher professional development in under-resourced schools

Bongi Mashiane-Nkabinde & Bongani Nkambule

Volume 6 Issue 3, September 2025

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the efficiency of school- and district-based support given to heads of departments in managing teacher professional development in under-resourced schools in the Nkangala Education District of Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. A deliberate sampling technique was used to recruit six Foundation Phase heads of departments in three primary schools. Organisational effectiveness theory was adopted as a theoretical lens, while thematic analysis was employed to analyse the qualitative data obtained from interviews. The first finding revealed that being classroom-bound for large parts of the school day, without an assistant to relieve them, restricted Foundation Phase heads of departments from fully executing their teacher support duties and prevented them from sharing knowledge with their fellow heads of departments. The second finding revealed that interventions by school leadership to support Foundation Phase heads of departments in executing their teacher support duties often failed to respond to the challenges curtailing their productivity. The third finding pointed to inconsistencies in the extension of district-based support systems, especially the provision of induction programmes for newly appointed heads of departments and customised training geared towards enhancing their role. Lastly, the continuous skills development training offered by non-governmental organisations proved very insightful and kept heads of departments afloat at a time when their schools and districts could not offer them responsive, effective, and consistent strategic support. The findings have implications for the review of school- and district-based support systems geared towards heads of departments.

Keywords

Author information & Contribution

Bongi Mashiane-Nkabinde. Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Management, Graduate, Department of Educational Leadership & Management, University of South Africa, Pretoria.

Bongani Nkambule. Corresponding author. Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Management. Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Open and Distance Learning, College of Education, University of South Africa, Pretoria. Email: nkambbi@unisa.ac.za

"Both authors contributed equally to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and manuscript writing. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript."

Disclosure statement

Funding

Institutional Review Board Statement

AI Declaration

Notes

Acknowledgement

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Cite this article:

Mashiane-Nkabinde, B. & Nkambule, B. (2025). Support for heads of departments in managing teacher professional development in under-resourced schools. International Journal of Educational Management and Development Studies, 6(3), 131-156. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijemds.353245