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Ÿ Aspiring principals should be first qualified in leadership and management before they are promoted into the position of a principal.
Ÿ Principals need sustained support in the form of mentoring beyond the programme.
Ÿ Reflection, as part of the learning experience of principals, should be incorporated into their performance management contracts.
CONCLUSION
The literature presented in this article has identified that school principals should be qualified first before applying for a post as principal. The literature has also emphasized the need for reflective practice by school principals in order for them to succeed in leading and managing schools. The idea of professionalizing the role of principals is also elaborated on. The discussion is based on the reflections of school principals after their experience in the ACE (SML) programme. The principals reflected on their personal growth and experiences in the areas of communication, computer literacy, teamwork, policy development, transformation in attitudes and the change in their practices after being involved in the programme. It can be concluded that this programme has made a positive impact on the principals. Whether such an impact can be translated into sustainable development of school principals still needs to be investigated as principals work in a diverse environment in which many factors can deter principals from their defined roles and responsibilities.