Caring principal leadership for the support of teachers leading committees for promotion of healthy school environments

Abstract

Caring lies at the heart of effective enhancement of healthy school environments and good school leadership. This is evidenced by health policies wherein principals are indirectly obliged to act ethically and morally. By doing so, they assume their caring role that will enable the development of human capital. This study was conducted in schools in two provinces in South Africa with principals, school management team members and leaders of health committees as participants. This is a qualitative research study which included two rural and two township schools. As this was an exploratory, phenomenological study, data were collected using multiple data collection tools: narratives, interviews and shadowing. The findings of this research indicate signs of caring leadership in the actions and interactions of the principals and teachers; principals and community members; and principals and other external stakeholders. More caring leadership was, however, experienced for the programmes than for the leaders of committees per se.   Keywords: Health promotion, caring for, caring about, communal orientation, school leadership.