The principals' role in promoting ethical behaviour among primary school teachers in the Matelile area of the Mafeteng district

Abstract

This study focused on the principals’ role in promoting ethical behaviour among the primary school teachers in the Matelile area of the Mafeteng district. It specifically sought to unveil the behavioural practices of primary school teachers, identify principals’ challenges in addressing unethical behaviour among teachers and explore the strategies that principals can apply to promote ethical behaviour among primary school teachers. The study was anchored within the interpretivism theory and followed a qualitative approach. It adopted a case study research design and used open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews to generate data. A purposive participants’ selection was used to select 24 participants, consisting of 21 teachers and three principals that were engaged. The study revealed that both teachers and principals were not fully aware of some of the legislative documents that were used to regulate teachers’ behaviour in Lesotho. Teachers and principals did not fully receive both internal and external training on issues pertaining to ethics. It was further revealed that teachers behaved unethically sometimes. Some of the prevalent unethical behaviour included absenteeism, lateness, the use of corporal punishment and vulgar language. The main reasons why teachers behaved unethically included undermining the acting principals’ authority. The study further revealed that the principals used various strategies to manage teachers’ behaviour. These include verbal warnings, giving advice and seeking the intervention of the school board. However, some of these and other strategies were ineffective, as teachers continued to behave unethically. The study recommends that both teachers and principals be trained on the legislation that guides teachers’ behaviour in Lesotho and be required to own legislative documents. They should also demonstrate the knowledge of various school legislative documents before they can be registered with the Teaching Service Commission (TSC). The study also recommends that teachers who violate the stipulations of relevant legislative provisions be dealt with promptly, with firmness and without favouritism. This could deter teachers from continuing with unethical behaviour and discourage other teachers from engaging in similar unethical behaviour.