Principals’ perceptions and experiences of circuit managers’ role towards their continuous professional development

The study focused on principals’ perceptions and experiences regarding circuit managers’ role towards principals’ continuous professional development (CPD). CPD programmes are viewed as critical in ensuring principals growth as educated and trained professionals. The need for principals to keep informed on changes in education rests with the circuit managers to provide opportunities through the effective implementation of CPD. Literature reveals that principals lack CPD and support from CMs which emanate from inadequate and ineffective CPD training. This inadequacy impacts school leadership by reducing the principal’s confidence which leads to ineffective school management. Hence, this gap in CPD may negatively affect educational outcomes as well as the overall management of the school. Literature also states that CMs lack appropriate qualifications and experience to implement CPD training for principals. The rationale for undertaking this study was to enhance relevant CPD training, support, and the efficient development of school principals by the CMs in line with the requirements of the district. This qualitative study selected a sample of school principals based in Motheo District of the Free State province, RSA. Focus group interviews were employed, and thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Findings revealed that there was lack of proper planning, implementation, management, and leadership by CMs. It was also found that there is a dire need for the alleviation of systematic challenges like time management, financial resources, and efficient monitoring to ensure the success of CPD initiatives. Since successful CPD implementation relies on open communication and collaboration between Circuit Managers (CMs) and principals, the current CPD provision is inadequate as it is hindered by insufficient planning, lack of feedback, and inconsistent training, especially in specialised areas. To improve CPD effectiveness, CMs must adopt integrated strategies, prioritise collaboration, and address barriers such as burdensome workloads, poor time management, and the lack of communication skills to ensure that CPD initiatives align closely with principals’ specific needs. The study contributes to new knowledge by recommending guidelines that CMs may use in implementing CPD activities for principals to ensure collaborative, tailored approaches of CPD implementation.