ETHICAL LEADERSHIP DILEMMAS FOR SCHOOL TEACHERS AMID SOCIO-POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC TURBULENCES IN FOUR ZIMBABWEAN SCHOOLS

Abstract

This qualitative study explores unethical practices by teachers amid turbulent socio-political and economic environments in Zimbabwean schools. The study was conducted in four Zimbabwean schools in Marondera Education District. The study data were generated through focus group interviews, documents review and semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that ethical practices in schools are very difficult, if not impossible, during turbulent socio political and economic environments, like in Zimbabwe currently. The study establishes that a turbulent socio-political and economic environment compromises ethical practices as it facilitates incessant teacher unpunctuality and absenteeism due to private businesses, late payment of salaries and bonuses, the mounting cash crisis in banks, political violence against teachers, a collapse of the educational funding systems and learner deteriorating behaviour at schools, amongst others. Whenever there are two competing issues, one is bound to be outweighed, in the case of this study, ethical leadership is pitied against survival of the school personnel survival before ethical behaviour, creating dilemmas for the school heads and teachers. It has emerged, in this study, that the way forward is to deal with the turbulences that are pushing the educational practitioners to the cliff edge, hence restoring calm on the education flight.