Strategic management framework for collaborative reources sharing between schools for sustainable learning environments

Abstract

English: Many historically black schools are faced with a challenge of producing quality education with limited resources. Considering the historical backlog on resourcing and the current financial constraints, it does not seem that equity with reference to resourcing will be attained soon. Even notwithstanding the situation as depicted, there seems to be little evidence of schools taking own initiative to engender sharing of limited resources among themselves. Recorded instances of resources sharing between schools seem to be those initiated by government alone, government and business as well as government with donor countries. The collaborative sharing of resources between schools is not sustainable due to the perception of it being an imposition due to top-down approach by the powers that be and the challenge of funding. The perceived top-down and lack of funding seems to thwart initiatives from the side of the schools to come up with own initiatives to share limited resources among themselves. It thus became critical to use a research strategy that would motivate and enthuse those affected to do something about their situation. This participatory action research, conducted within the critical emancipatory theoretical framework, formulates a strategic management framework for collaborative resources sharing between schools such that it is sustainable. In terms of participatory action research, research is not done on people but with them. It was against this background that I formed a team to facilitate engagement, interactions and participation of the affected schools in the study. In laying the foundation for the study, the team engaged the participants in coining the vision, doing SWOT analysis, setting priorities, evaluating legislative mandates and engendering collaborative planning. The critical emancipatory research objectives and principles that underpin the relationships between participants as well as the language used became handy in opening the communicative space among the participants. The communicative space that allowed free discussions was further enhanced through that application of the free attitude interview technique. The technique allow the use of the preferred language of the participants. The involvement of the affected participants helped to address the research objectives namely, the need to establish strategic management framework for resources sharing that is sustainable, determining the components on which the framework is pillared, determining the conditions that ensures success, the threats that hinder successful implementation and testing the applicability of the framework. The interactive engagement between the participants helped to generate data that were used in the study. In order to make sense of the volumes of date generated, the critical discourse analysis was used. This method allows those handling data from discourses not to take it at face value but to dig for deeper meaning. In this way knowledge creation becomes possible from what may seem everyday conversations. Knowledge created from planning of activities and priorities, their implementation, monitoring, observations and reflections was used to confirm or negate what was learnt from related literature study. Furthermore this knowledge was used to close the gaps that existed in the models or frameworks studied from other countries and local. In this way it became possible to design the framework that has build-in mechanisms that make it to be sustainable and thus engender sustainable learning environments. The active participation of people from diverse backgrounds as equals, as coresearchers, as creators of knowledge helped the study to present a strategic management framework for collaborative resources sharing such that it is sustainable. The experiences that unfolded during the whole process from inception to actual presentation of the framework, informed the observations, conclusions and recommendation that round off the study in the last chapter.

Afrikaans: Heelwat historiese swart skole staar uitdagings in die gesig om met beperkte hulpbronne nog steeds goeie kwaliteit onderrig aan te bied. Wanneer daar in ag geneem word dat daar „n historiese agterstand is ten opsigte van hulpbronne en die huidige finansiële beperkings blyk dit asof gelykheid met verwysing na hulpbronne nie gou aangespreek gaan word nie. Ten spyte van bogenoemde situasie is daar min getuienis dat skole saamstaan en inisiatief neem om die beperkte hulpbronne wat wel beskikbaar is, met mekaar te deel. Opgetekende gevalle waar hulpbronne tussen skole gedeel word blyk slegs te wees wanneer die inisiatief geneem is deur die regering alleen, of in samewerking met besigheidsinstansies of met skenkerslande. Die samewerking tussen skole ten opsigte van die gesamentlike gebruik van hulpbronne is nie volhoubaar nie weens die aanname dat skole benadeel word deur die “top-down”-benadering van die regerende magte en die uitdaging om fondse te in. Die waargeneemde “top-down”-benadering en die gebrek aan fondse blyk inisiatiewe van die skole oor hoe om die hulpbronne te deel, te dwarsboom. Dit het dus krities belangrik geword om „n navorsingstrategie te ontwikkel om die skole wat hierdeur beïnvloed word te motiveer om iets aan die situasie te probeer doen. Hierdie deelnemende aksie-navorsing, gedoen aan die hand van „n krities-emansipatoriese teoretiese raamwerk, formuleer „n strategiese bestuursraamwerk vir „n proses wat sal lei tot volhoubaarheid t.o.v. die gesamentlike gebruik van hulpbronne tussen skole. In terme van deelnemende aksie-navorsing, word navorsing nie op mense gedoen nie maar in samewerking met hulle. Teen hierdie agtergrond is „n span, vir die doel van die studie, gevorm wat inskakeling, interaksie en deelname van die betrokke skole sal fasiliteer. Ten einde die basis van die studie te bepaal het die span die deelnemers betrek in die samestelling van die visie, afneem van die “SWOT”- analise, vasstelling van prioriteite, evaluering van wetgewende mandate en die skepping van samewerkende beplanning. Die krities-emansipatoriese navorsingsobjektiewe en beginsels wat die verhouding tussen deelnemers sowel as die taal vervat, het handig te pas gekom ten einde ruimte vir kommunikasie tussen die deelnemers te skep. Hierdie ruimte vir kommunikasie wat vrye besprekings bewerkstellig het, is verder bevorder deur die toepassing van die vrye houding onderhoudtegniek. Hierdie tegniek laat toe dat die deelnemers self die taal kan kies waarin hulle wil deelneem. Die betrokkenheid van die spesifieke deelnemers het gehelp om die navorsingsobjektiewe, soos die nodigheid van „n strategiese bestuursraamwerk vir die volhoubare deel van hulpbronne, bepaling van die komponente waarop die raamwerk gebaseer word, die vasstelling van voorwaardes wat sukses sal verseker, die risiko‟s wat suksesvolle implementering kan kelder en die toetsing van die toepaslikheid van die raamwerk, aan te spreek. Die interaktiewe deelname tussen deelnemers het gehelp om data te genereer wat in die studie gebruik kon word. Ten einde sinvolle verwerking van die data te bewerkstellig is gebruik gemaak van diskoersanalise. Hierdie metode stel die datahanteerders in staat om dieperliggende betekenisse te soek. Dit word dus moontlik om kennis te versamel uit gesprekke wat lyk asof dit bloot alledaagse gesprekke is. Die kennis wat versamel word uit beplanning van aktiwiteite en prioriteite, die implementering sowel as die monitering daarvan, asook waarnemings en refleksies is gebruik om inligting wat uit relevante literatuur gevind is, te bevestig of te verwerp. Hierdie kennis is ook gebruik om die gapings wat bestaan tussen die verskillende modelle en raamwerke wat bestudeer is, plaaslik sowel as internasionaal, te verklein. Dit het gelei tot die ontwikkeling en daarstelling van „n raamwerk met ingeboude meganismes wat dit volhoubaar maak en dus volhoubare leeromgewings bevorder. Die aktiewe deelname, van persone van verskillende agtergronde, as gelykes, mede-navorsers en ook skeppers van kennis het die studie in staat gestel om „n volhoubare strategiese bestuursraamwerk vir samewerkende hulpbronne daar te stel. Die ervaringe wat deur die volledige proses vanaf die ontstaan tot die werklike voorlegging van die raamwerk gelei het, het tot die waarnemings, slotsom en voorstelle gelei wat die laaste hoofstuk van die studie afrond.