Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Leading and sustaining Zimbabwe's private schools: matching vision with economic reality

Bush, Tony; Chingarande, Dominica; Glover, Derek; Muchabaiwa, Wonder; Simango, Jubadheya; Thondhlana, Juliet

Authors

Dominica Chingarande

Derek Glover

Wonder Muchabaiwa

Jubadheya Simango

JULIET THONDHLANA juliet.thondhlana@nottingham.ac.uk
Professor of International Education and Development



Contributors

Dominica Chingarande
Other

Derek Glover
Other

Wonder Muchabaiwa
Other

Jubadheya Simango
Other

Abstract

The political, economic and social challenges in Zimbabwe are well documented. Public schools have been damaged by a shortage of resources, and by a brain drain of teachers. This has led many parents to seek private education for their children but the country’s economic problems mean that they often cannot afford to pay the fees. This demanding context informed the authors’ study of leadership in twelve private schools in Harare and the surrounding area. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with 19 leaders in these schools. The findings show that most of the schools have experienced significant falls in student numbers, despite cutting fees. This creates a severe management challenge for principals, other leaders, and school owners. There have been redundancies at several of the schools, which the leaders find stressful, while salary levels remain modest, although still higher than those in the public sector. The infrastructure and facilities are generally good compared to those in the public sector but leaders lament that they cannot be enhanced in the current financial climate. Most of the schools have a distinctive Christian ethos, and a vision to provide the best possible education for their children, but the leaders’ ambitious plans are thwarted by Zimbabwe’s harsh economic realities.

Citation

Bush, T., Chingarande, D., Glover, D., Muchabaiwa, W., Simango, J., & Thondhlana, J. (2019). Leading and sustaining Zimbabwe's private schools: matching vision with economic reality. Management in Education, 33(3), 101-109. https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020619831760

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 28, 2019
Online Publication Date Mar 21, 2019
Publication Date 2019-07
Deposit Date Mar 28, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Management in Education
Print ISSN 0892-0206
Electronic ISSN 1741-9883
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 33
Issue 3
Pages 101-109
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020619831760
Keywords Christian education; Principals; Private schools; Vision; Zimbabwe
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1696756
Publisher URL https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0892020619831760

Files




You might also like



Downloadable Citations