Corruption Watch reported earlier this year that school principals are the Number One group of people called out for corruption on its hotline.

I don’t have any big answers yet as to why that’s the case.

But I can say five things for certain.

One. The local school principals I interviewed in June show just-plain-gritty ethical leadership based in their personal values, a determination to lead differently, and use seven common-sense solutions listed below.

Two. They feel enormous pain at being part of a group labelled as “corrupt”.

Three. The impact of the Zuma years, when corruption became acceptable, is evident everywhere.

Four. In some schools, as in other organisations outside the education realm, there’s a weird trend of giving gifts to thank people for doing their jobs, and I’m not talking about a gift of soap or hand cream at the end of the school year but big handouts that come to be expected as a benefit of employment (donations to the school that make their way into the pockets of individuals).

Five. Principals are expected to run their schools as businesses but some don’t have the necessary training to do so.

As part of a conversation about schools as moral communities, I spoke to three primary and two secondary schools leaders, a small sample of Cape Town public school leaders who are associated with Partners for Possibility. They are based in Kraaifontein, Mitchells Plain, Surrey Estate, Hout Bay, and Grassy Park.

The interviews were confidential so I can’t share the details.

But mainly I want to say that there are some selfless, focused, hard-working gentle giants out there who make a difference because of their personal choices and values.

It stood out for me that each person had a personal moral code that they referenced. This was rooted in their religious belief or in common-sense wisdom. Examples are:

• Be consistent and always value other people.
• I believe in trusting people’s integrity.
• Always treat people with respect.

Principals felt they were ill-equipped for the challenges that awaited them when promoted from their teaching roles or deputy principal roles to lead their schools, but that their own value systems held them on a true course.

Said one:  “Usually a CEO is groomed for a few years before becoming a CEO. A principal is appointed and all of a sudden needs to lead a school of 1,000 learners and staff. Impossible. If you have a set of values you know right is right and wrong is wrong. But even then, if you don’t have the support staff around you it may be easy to become corrupted. People want to do business with you and want to offer you things.”

So, what makes schools moral communities?

The value set or moral code of the leaders, for a start. The interviews also showed the following:

1. Clear, simple and transparent financial systems – just simple governance, checks and balances. 
2. A group of colleagues from different schools, to use as a sounding board. One principal is in a social media group with others he studied with. He can ask for and receive input.
3. A reference group from outside of education, to use as a sounding board or a source of different perspectives. E.g. a Partners for Possibility mentor or other businesspersons.
4. Growing a strong and stable Senior Management Team and a stable staff with a shared ethos.
5. An association of alumni from the school. E.g. alumni mentor Grade 12 learners. Where teachers focus on academic performance, alumni-mentors are available to talk about anything else.
6. Professional learning communities such as those coordinated by the Western Cape Education Department.
7. Clear policies and procedures. One primary school at which I interviewed the principal has, in addition to the SACE Code of Professional Conduct for teachers, its own Code of Conduct which is updated periodically, a published Code of Conduct for learners and other formal strategies for dealing with issues such as bullying.

We’ll talk about more solutions on 7 August at a workshop to be hosted by Partners for Possibility and The Ethics Institute in Cape Town.

If you’re reading this blog and wondering who I’m talking about, because the principals at the schools your children attend would never be accused of being corrupt, count yourself fortunate.

You too could get involved in the conversation about making more schools moral communities, and supporting the work of Partners for Possibility (already in 800 schools in SA).

References

Chaskalson, J. 6 March 2018. ‘Corruption in schools: principals identified as the main culprits.’ https://www.groundup.org.za/article/corruption-schools-principals-identified-main-culprits

Personal interviews with five Cape school principals, 5-12 June 2018