EMASA : Education Management Association of South Africa

he country. The annual EMASA conference should be used as platform for both academics and practitioners to bridge the gap between theory and practice by allowing greater input from practitioners and by exposing practitioners to recent research papers in the area of management and leadership. EMASA should provide a forum for discussion on management and leadership issues that plague developing countries such as those in Africa so that we can jointly generate a body of knowledge that speaks to the realities faced by our contextual realities. EMASA can serve as a conduit between practitioners and other initiatives in the field thus keeping those in the profession abreast with the latest trends. EMASA
should showcase the innovative management and leadership initiatives of principals in South African schools who are creating resilient schools despite difficult circumstances. It is argued that there should be a new way forward for schools seeking to meet the challenge of effective leadership and management in the new millennium. As the educational environment becomes more complex and the demands on schools increase, EMASA should open up dialogue on the challenges that face schools. Trends for accountability are greatly impacting on the role of current and future school principals. Confronted with growing external expectations for improved performance, principals have new expectations foisted on them, for which many may be ill prepared. EMASA can provide a platform for policy debates in a turbulent policy environment and on how effective principals can successfully respond to this environment.