The experiences of primary school educators on the implementation of integrated quality management system in Vhembe District Municipality, Limpopo Province

Abstract

As outlined in the Collective Agreement No.8 of 2003, IQMS is a collective concept of Whole School Development (WSD), namely, the Developmental Appraisal System (DAS), the Performance Measurement (PM) and Whole School Evaluation (WSE). However, the implementation of this agreement created challenges for some educators, especially in primary schools. This study examines the experiences of primary school educators in the Vhembe District Municipality regarding the implementation of an Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) at school level. The study is based on an interpretive explanatory research design collecting data through interviews. A purposive sampling procedure was used to select the participants. The scope of the research was restricted to ten primary schools within the Vhembe District. In each school, three participants were interviewed, namely, the principal, chairperson of the School Development Team (DST) and one member of the School Development Support Group (DSG). The researcher also interviewed two District officials to find out about their experiences in the implementation of IQMS in schools. Data was also collected through observing the environment of schools. The study found that IQMS was implemented too rapidly and was hampered by overwhelming challenges during implementation since educators did not have enough knowledge regarding the processes of IQMS implementation. Most of the educators had a negative attitude towards the system. The training and support given to educators was inadequate. The advocacy was poor because those introducing the programme were themselves not sure about its objectives. The study recommends that in order for the IQMS to be effective, it should be well implemented, communicated and understandable to educators.