Evaluating quality management principles in public schools in the Tshwane district towards improving performance

The International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 9001 quality management principles (QMPs) were initially developed for use in manufacturing industries. However, according to literature, the 7 QMPs can also be applied in public schools to improve school performance. In the study reported on here we focused on QMPs in the South African public-school context in order to explore whether there is a positive correlation between the adoption of QMPs in public schools and school performance. We investigated the problem of the lack of QMPs and failure of school management to implement QMPs in South African public schools. Data were collected in the Tshwane district, Gauteng province. A quantitative research approach was adopted to analyse the data, and a cross-sectional study stratified the random sampling method, which was used to collect data through an online, self-administered questionnaire. The findings of this study indicate that there is a positive correlation between the benefits and challenges of the 7 QMPs, implying that the adoption of these QMPs by public schools is significant and influences school performance. The study fills a void in current QMP literature and serves as a source of reference for future research in the focus area of ISO 9001 QMPs.