The Role of Principals as Instructional Leaders in the Implementation of ICT Curriculum in South African Public Schools

Bulgarian Comparative Education Society. Blvd Shipchenski prohod 69 A, 1574 Sofia, Bulgaria. e-mail: info@bces-conference.org; Web site: http://www.bces-conference.org

Y

6

Principals; Administrator Role; Instructional Leadership; Foreign Countries; Distance Education; COVID-19; Pandemics; Educational Change; Access to Education; Online Courses; Curriculum Implementation; Barriers; Instructional Effectiveness; Public Schools; Elementary Secondary Education

Education systems, including South Africa's, were forced to embrace remote schooling and online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of this dramatic change, the principal's role as an instructional leader has also changed. The hard lockdowns in South Africa forced schools to be creative in ensuring education continuity through digital technologies in online teaching. This became impossible in many schools due to a lack of resources and skills and the digital divide. South Africa is in the process of implementing the ICT curriculum in schools. Instructional leadership becomes crucial in such initiatives as it determines how the ICT curriculum is implemented and its subsequent impact on teaching and learning. However, many challenges hinder the effective implementation of the ICT curriculum, incorporating the lack of understanding of the pivotal role principals can play in ensuring its effectiveness. This study analysed publications on ICT curriculum implementation and instructional leadership to provide an overview of principals' roles as instructional leaders. Instructional leadership referred to in this study builds on experiences and learning acquired during COVID-19. Implementation of ICT is becoming more important to schools, and the success of such implementation is often due to effective instructional leadership. [For the complete Volume 21 proceedings, see ED629259.]

As Provided

2023

ED629371