Professional Development Needs for School Leaders: A Case of Lesotho Secondary School Principals

Abstract

School principals are expected to become exceptional leaders due to the rapid upsurge of transformations in the education system. Although they are regarded as agents of change, principals are not adequately equipped to handle the management roles. This qualitative study explored Lesotho secondary school principals’ perceptions of their professional development and the need to enhance leadership. This study used the constructivism paradigm as a lens and was underpinned by complexity leadership theory. A multiple case study was adopted, and data was generated from five secondary school principals in five schools using semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse data. The findings revealed that principals need capacitation in the use of the latest technologies as well as the skills to manage school finances. The findings further revealed that principals need empowerment with conflict management and basic school leadership skills. This paper recommends structured capacity-building programs from the Ministry of Education and Training on different aspects of leadership and management of schools. This paper recommends that the Ministry of Education and Training continuously review school principals’ professional development needs to organise structured, regular and appropriate professional development programs to assist them in their leadership roles.