Managing Institutions Differently in the 21 ^st Century for Efficacious Grounds: Making Schooling a Societal Exercise

The paper reports and discusses how practitioners in institutions aspire for space, variety and independence to be themselves. This is a 21 ^st century phenomenon occurring in public secondary schools. The paper is conceptual and empirical in nature within the qualitative research paradigm. The question guiding the paper is to what extent is the desire to operate independently by practitioners in schools, leads to efficacious schooling? Literature study and interviewing technique were used to collect data. Out of the population of 543 schools across Limpopo Province’s districts, twelve schools were conveniently sampled. Findings reveal a desire by practitioners to be free to articulate their ideas on the management of themselves and their institutions currently and in future. Practitioners aspire to be valued and are susceptible to monotony. The researchers recommend that further studies regarding longing for space, a different leadership style and independence by the 21 ^st century institutional incumbents, be undertaken.