KEY IMPERATIVES IN DESIGNING THE CURRICULUM OF A LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR COUNCILLORS IN SOUTH AFRICA: A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

South Africa as a developmental state requires a knowledgeable, skilled and competent workforce to enable the professionalisation of the public service. The establishment of a Department of Higher Education and Training and a Department of Basic Education in South Africa displays the government’s intention to provide for lifelong learning, education and training opportunities as well as to develop a South African education system for the 21st century. The increase in service delivery protests is an indication of the importance of a capable, efficient and effective workforce specifically in municipalities. Local government in South Africa is at the core of service delivery as it is the sphere of government closest to the people. It is imperative therefore to develop adequate opportunities for training and development for those employed in the public sector. This paper provides an analysis of the curriculum design of a leadership development programme aimed specifically at councillors in local government. The analysis is based on four elements; firstly the appropriateness of the programme content, secondly; the assessment practices and whether they measure what they purport to measure, thirdly the facilitation of the programme and lastly the effectiveness of the programme evaluation.

A qualitative research method was used to conduct the research on which this paper is based. Unstructured individual and focus group interviews collected with programme participants, facilitators and content developers indicate significant challenges in the design of the curriculum of a leadership development programme for councillors. A municipality must develop human resource capacity to a level that enables it to perform its functions and exercise its powers in an economic, effective, efficient and accountable way. In order to ensure that human resource capacity is well developed, the programmes that are in place to build capacity have to be effectively evaluated. The design and development of a curriculum is an important part in creating a favourable teaching and learning environment.