Abstract:

Rural school managers in South Africa and around the world face several challenges when it comes to leading their schools towards effectiveness. In South Africa the challenges started long before the democratic government which has held the reins since 1994. The lack of resources, lack of community and parental involvement, high teacher turnover and high failure rate are among the challenges faced by school managers and their management teams. Countless school managers have also bemoaned the fact that in their schools the curriculum tends to be more irrelevant to the environment of their learners hence many learners always think of migrating to the cities or urban areas because the curriculum has alienated them and driven them to urban areas. When COVID 19 pandemic hit South Africa in 2020 it unmasked numerous challenges that have existed for decades in rural schools. These have impacted badly on school managers and have been a hindrance to school success and improvement.

This case study examines the impact of Covid 19 on historically black rural schools' managers' initiatives. Research conducted previously has not adequately addressed how school managers in rural schools should guide their schools. The common flaw done by policy makers, education researchers and interest bodies is to equate the challenges of the rural school managers with those of urban school managers. Indeed, many of these challenges are common given the history of schooling, however, the circumstances are unique in rural schools hence care should be taken in researching and analysing the prevailing conditions in these schools. The study tackled the research question by examining strategies and initiatives used by school managers in three rural high schools in proximity. Due to Covid 19 restrictions the telephone was the main instrument used in gathering qualitative data. In the second part of the study though there were limited observations done after the lockdown level 5 restrictions were promulgated. The results demonstrate that rural school managers have to be mindful of a number of factors as they adjust their management approaches in rural areas and these include working closely with the surrounding rural communities, empowering and involving parents in school management, improving ICT skills of the teachers, magnifying the interest in technology for all learners and ensuring that education is liberatory among all the role-players. Leading rural schools becomes less of a challenge when all stakeholders understand their roles in the school.

Keywords:

Covid 19, Effectiveness, ICT, Rural schools, School management.