Performance agreements feared

MANY school principals are dreading the introduction of performance agreements, fearful of being held accountable for failures “outside their control”, suggests a new research paper.

Being poorly resourced and the difficulty in dismissing incompetent teachers were factors principals argued would see them unfairly punished for underperformance, said the qualitative study by North West University professor Jan Heystek.

The Basic Education Department intends having all school heads sign performance agreements by 2019, and competency tests for teachers applying for senior posts are also on the cards.

Heystek sought to explore principals’ perceptions. He argued that for a performance agreement to be motivational, employees needed to feel that they could achieve the goals set out for them.

A school’s socio-economic environment or the state of its infrastructure were factors often outside a principal’s sphere of influence and could significantly affect pupils’ academic achievement.

Most of the principals, deputy principals and department heads who agreed to be interviewed were heads of underperforming schools in rural and poor communities, and most were from the Western Cape. Schools are usually labelled as underperforming if their matric pass rate is below 60 percent.

Principals described their reactions as “fear” and saw performance agreements as a “threat” and “unfair”.

“Your performance is based on a number of stakeholders… and it is easy to be sabotaged,” said a principal.

“To me it is a threat, especially to those of us in disadvantaged schools… The principals and deputies may lose their job, and that seems unfair,” said another.

The study participants said better facilities at school and better support from department officials were more effective means of getting them to work harder.

Heystek argued that one of the most important reasons why principals felt the performance of teachers was beyond their control was the unions. As one principal put it: “We as principals… may be recalled, but because of the unions’ power an underperforming teacher will stick with you forever.”

While the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) has been opposed to performance agreements in the past, spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said she would only be able to comment today.

The policy had the support of the National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA and president Basil Manuel said yesterday it was necessary because of the many unqualified and incompetent principals who brought schools “to their knees”.

Allen Thompson, deputy president of the National Teachers Union, said certain conditions first needed to be met. All schools had to have the same classroom size and pupils had to have their own textbooks for all subjects at all schools.

It is a threat, especially at disadvantaged schools