Reimagining Ubuntu in schools: A perspective from two primary school leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Communalism, otherwise known as ‘Ubuntu’ in African literature, has come to signify the philosophical and ethical thought capable of transforming behaviours/lives and restoring the continent’s cultural identity. This potent energy is explored in this article with a critical discussion of the conceptual, cultural and operational statuses of Ubuntu. While inhumanity across Africa has prompted some to question its viability, others – including the author of this article – see, in these testing times, an opportunity to reinvent the concept. Using narrative data from two urban primary head teachers based in Kinshasa/Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the article highlights unique Ubuntu operational patterns of understanding others’ needs, negotiating and prioritising needs, assessing available resources, attending to others’ needs, and raised expectations and commitment to organisational goals. This process, it is noted, can successfully take place in the context of genuine dialogue; a compromise that not only prevents ‘bogus needs’ and looks beyond limited resources, but also serves the interests of both individuals and schools.

Mapping the intellectual lineage of educational management, administration and leadership, 1972–2020

“…university, England, educational leadership, leadership practice, power, commitment, schools, government, head teacher, accountability, local education authorities (LEAs)). In addition, this analysis offers evidence of the journal’s coverage of leadership and management issues across the full spectrum of educational organizations including primary schools (Elonga Mboyo, 2019; Lazaridou and Beka, 2015), secondary schools (Barrell, 1991; Mitra and Gross, 2009), international schools (Gardner-McTaggart, 2019; Keller, 2015), school systems (Addi-Raccah and Gavish, 2010; Tan and Dimmock, 2014), LEAs (Addi-Raccah and Gavish, 2010; Hellawell, 1990; Millward and Skidmore, 1998), universities (Gandhi and Sen, 2020) and higher education systems (Harding and Scott, 1982). While early childhood education did not emerge on this term map, we noted that it was present on maps that used a somewhat lower threshold (e.g.…”