A Programme for Facilitating Effective Leadership for Inclusion

The leadership style in the school organisation probably has a significant impact on the educational process. The leadership and management approach employed by the School Management Team (SMT), will, to a large extent, determine the way in which a particular school would be effective in the implementation of an inclusive education programme. Engelbrecht, Green, Naicker and Engelbrecht (1999:49) indicate that even the psychosocial environment of the school is strongly affected by the style and manner of the leadership and management practised. Middlebrook (1980:404) takes this point further by mentioning that leadership is an important element in the effective functioning of a group or an organisation. Since 1994, South Africa has undergone major political and economic changes, and education was no exception. According to the Department of Education (DoE, 1997b:41), the recent adoption of a new Constitution for South Africa, together with the introduction of new education legislation and policy, are important in providing a framework for recognising diversity, and providing quality education for all learners, including those learners excluded by the previous system.