An Exploration of School Leadership in Times of Crisis: Implementing Online Teaching during COVID-19 in Mauritius

Abstract

The sudden closure of schools in Mauritius due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic left educational stakeholders with much uncertainty until policy decisions regarding online learning were enforced by the Ministry of Education. While the alternative pathway aimed at abating anxiety about the schooling of students, it nevertheless came with its own sets of concerns and setbacks due to the suddenness of the shift. The problem was exacerbated by the fact that a number of students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds did not have the required technological means to engage in online learning. A case study was carried out to obtain insights into the leadership styles adopted by rectors during confinement, while implementing policy decisions and navigating between key stakeholders, namely, the Ministry of Education, teachers, parents and learners. Purposive sampling, with maximum variation, was used to select the participants from the three types of secondary schools (State, private/ confessional, and private/ non-confessional) offering free education on the island and, in this case, schools that accommodate students from disadvantaged socio-economic groups. Data was produced through semi-structured interviews and vignettetes. Key themes emanating from the data were identified and analysed. The findings, presented under seven headings, brought to the fore the nature of the rectors’ professional responsiveness, revealing that much of the success Implementing Online Teaching during COVID-19 in Mauritius 293 achieved in ensuring that online teaching and learning is transacted in the best possible way in challenging conditions, resulted from the democratic horizontal leadership rapport they established with their staff and students. More importantly, they all prioritised humane and emotional dimensions in their professional relationships, even though they held diametrically opposed viewpoints on certain school leadership attributes and had marked differences in their personality traits. The study, however, also showed the limitations to what leaders could achieve due to out-of-school factors and policy decisions.