Factors influencing the drafting and implementation of strategic planning in schools in the Motheo district

Abstract

The implementation of strategic planning in schools started in the United States of America (USA) in the 1980s. It is not clear when the concept was first used in South Africa, but its importance in the successful management of a school cannot be underestimated. Strategic planning basically includes a group of instruments, operations and concepts structured to help managers, leaders and planners to think and act strategically. The planning process comprises a definition of the goals, a valuation of the resources available for meeting the goals, and the definition of definite plans or initiatives that are intended to achieve the goals. The process usually includes a classification exercise that identifies the highest priority initiatives. The study addresses the management process and indicates how strategic management fits into this process. Strategic planning is the process of deciding on an organisation's goals, determining the policies and programmes necessary to achieve all specific objectives, and establishing the methods essential to assure that the policies and strategic programmes are implemented. Strategic planning ensures that the school is associated with the changing internal and external environment. This planning is formulated by top management and focuses on the entire organisation. A qualitative design was followed in which the opinions of principals and School Governing Body chairpersons were sought through the use of open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Method triangulation was incorporated by the use of afore-mentioned data collection methods. Another form of triangulation employed in this study is data source triangulation. This entails making use of more than one group of participants to gather data. This study obtained data from various groups of people as described in the sample. The findings of the study indicate that strategic planning does not occur in many schools in the Motheo district. If a form of strategic planning does occur, SGB chairpersons are often excluded in the drafting and implementation of these plans. Collaboration between School Management Teams and School Governing Bodies is needed to ensure the successful drafting and implementation of strategic plans