Tossing oversight authorities from pillar to post

Tshwarelo Hosia | Wednesday July 23, 2025 10:09

Schools have over the years developed a negative perception towards external oversight. This is a challenge that educators responsible for oversight should address urgently.

There is an urgent need for external oversight and school managers to find another for their mutual professional growth, which is a means to achieve improved student learning outcomes.

There are many challenges between schools and external oversight which should be ironed out. One of the sticky issues is the perception or reality that external oversight visits schools on a witch-hunting or fault finding mission.

This could be having an iota of truth especially when the interactions are not cordial but assume the character of combative affairs. Pointing fingers does not help the situation rather it causes a rift between the two components designed to complement one another for the good of teaching and learning.

When the chips are down the last thing that schools need is condemnation from external actors who are not privy to all circumstances which are conspiring to frustrate effective school governance and best instructional practices.

The other big factor causing school disaffection with external oversight is delayed interventions. Delayed interventions could be caused by lack of preparations and planning on the part of external oversight.

Schools have a legitimate expectation for prompt and timely interventions. When mock examination or final examination learning outcomes are released, schools expect the external oversight bodies to arrange professional engagements sessions to analyse the data and deal with underlying issues behind the data.

Late arrival of external oversight bodies, say six months after the release of student achievement data could attract, rightly so, a negative reaction from schools.

Arriving when schools are already getting ready for the next examination cycle may appear unhelpful. Yes it is true that external oversight bodies have their own capacity challenges. This is a seriously understaffed department.

However, advanced planning which necessarily entails pooling of resources from other jurisdictions could rescue the situation.

To maintain a peaceful and mutually beneficial relationship external oversight should endeavour to be part and parcel of schools they are watching in terms of participating in the creation and building of a culture of good governance and nurturing best instructional practices.

When schools do not deliver as expected, both schools and external oversight as partners should assume equal responsibility. It takes two to tango. Schools are experiencing a lot of challenges and some of the issues appear insurmountable.

Issues of rising student indiscipline have their genesis in the circumstances outside schools. And the issue of shortage of critical teaching and learning inputs is also compounding the matter. Navigating the challenges including adaptive challenges emanating from schools as well as externally induced problems requires collective responsibility.

Schools cannot be on the firing line on account of issues beyond their jurisdictions.

Humility is a disarming tool. It builds rapport between participating parties at results accounting sessions. To succeed external oversight interventions, should start and stand on a positive leg, where deliberate efforts are made to appreciate that the teachers mean well and endeavour to bring their best selves under the worst of circumstances to achieve improved learning outcomes.

The positive tone is an inspiring tool, setting the stage for productive and symbiotic professional engagements. One trust and confidence have been earned, the two partners could together shift the gear to delve into uncomfortable and grey areas which may require much more attention especially from schools.

The exchanges between schools and external oversight should not assume the character of a master - servant relationship, that of a rider and a horse but should be an engagement of a learning community, seeking to draw positive inspiration from past mishaps and lapses to chart a new mutually agreed road map.

Key responsibilities of external oversight are dissemination of curricular policies, capacity building to ensure appreciation and implementation of best pedagogic practices while also managing external relations and luring community support.

Schools too should take ownership of what is happening in their jurisdictions. Overreliance on external support is not a sign of taking responsibility over school matters. Schools when in need should cultivate a culture of initiating interactions with external oversight.

This should end the waiting game where schools seem to yearn and wait for the arrival of external oversight. Communication between the two institutions requires improvement.