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Women who manage schools encounter numerous hurdles according to a wealth of empirical data from school leadership research. The objective of this study was to examine the experiences of female principals in their position and the strategies they use to deal with these obstacles in some schools in Umjidi district, Barberton Circuit in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. A qualitative research approach was employed, and purposive sampling was used to collect data. Data were collected through semi-structured, online interviews with four female school principals in the Barberton area and these were analyzed thematically. The social role theory was used as a theoretical framework. Gender stereotypes are stereotypes that people believe about men and women. The findings indicated that female principals in the Barberton still experiences barriers such as gender discrimination, gender inequality, stereotyping and resistance from communities, school discipline, staff and parents displaying negative attitudes, and insubordination by male staff. This shows that the barriers of sexism – social, ethnic and cultural stereotyping; and glass ceilings and glass walls – still exist in the education sector. The study recommends the mounting of gender awareness workshops with both parents and educators to educate them on gender equity issues.

This study aimed at exploring experiences of school heads in managing parental involvement in primary schools in Bikita District of Zimbabwe to establish the main challenges in involving parents in schools management. Parental involvement in Zimbabwe schools had not yet fully rooted from a colonial history of exclusion when disturbances in the economy affected schools management negatively. Economic disturbances resulted in serious irregular schooling when teachers went on prolonged industrial actions, resulting in very little learning in schools and general lack of development in schools for years. These challenges increased parental indifference, mistrust and hostility. A qualitative approach of case study design was used in this study. Ten school heads were purposefully sampled from best 20 performing schools in the 2020 Grade 7 national examination in the district. Those school heads were interviewed to establish their challenges and responses. The study found that irregular schooling and poor learner performance as well as lack of development in schools have caused parents to loose trust in school heads and teachers. In response, school heads became more inclusive and consultative in their leadership approaches to bring back parental trust. The government has to fund schools better and pay teachers better to bring back normalcy in schools. School Management Teams have to develop, follow and create space for parental involvement programmes in their schools for parents to play their roles effectively.

Newly appointed teachers in the profession encounter challenges that impact their professional development possibilities and potential. The first five years in the teaching profession are delicate and fragile. This is the era where growth and development are gathered through classroom practices. This article seeks to explore any potential threats to these teachers’ development prospects. This can be incomplete without perusing related literature and teacher development theories. This study is qualitative and interpretive in nature and involved 23 participants who were novice teachers, school management team members and school principals. The theories of teacher change and social learning theory were used as the theoretical framework. Teacher change theory argues that change can happen when teachers come across valuable experiences and knowledge in the course of life. Empirical evidence was authenticated through interviews from purposively selected schools in the Mopani district in South Africa. This paper was authored to help education authorities, teacher unions, and school management hierarchies with relevant teacher development practices that can mitigate threats to novice teacher development. One compelling finding was that most of the difficulties accompanying novice teachers’ development were beyond the novice teachers’ control while in certain instances; teachers’ attitudes need to improve. The participants affirmed the need to introduce school-based development programmes that are unique to individuals. The need to regularly monitor and support schools cannot be over-emphasised. The study recommended that the Circuits and the Districts need to take control of their responsibilities for novice teacher development programmes. They should ensure that all programmes are regularly monitored, and schools are allowed to introduce programmes that address their unique professional development needs. Recommendations for future research on the subject are made.