Reasons for the Academic Decline in two Secondary Schools in South Africa

This paper reports on the findings of the study that seeks to understand the reasons for academic decline in two secondary schools in the Ugu Education District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.The study sought to understand the reasons for the academic decline of schools that were previously known for excellent performance.The study was underpinned by Duke ( 2008)' theory on school decline.Two school principals and two deputy principals were purposively selected to participate in the study.This was a qualitative study that follows the traditions of the interpretivism paradigm.Data was generated using semi-structured interviews.The findings suggested that school decline was triggered by numerous factors that included teacher-related challenges, cultural behavior of the learners, the failure of the Department of Education in the province to support schools, and the lack of excellent school leadership.The study concluded that school leadership, school governing body, and other provincial and national stakeholders must play an integral role in arresting causes of school decline.