Rethinking Education in the Industry 4.0 in Africa, the Effective Management and Leadership of Education Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Towards Digital Transformation

The study investigates management and leadership ideas and practices that can guide the education sector toward digital transformation propelled by the Fourth Industrial Revolution following the COVID-19 epidemic. The study questions the pace and scope of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, it suggests that the education sector could be better prepared for the global technological transformation that is currently taking place by implementing the right policies and principles in its management and leadership. The study's fundamental claim is that due to the rapid changes in the political, cultural, social, economic, and technological environments, 21st-century society is very demanding on its members. The COVID-19 epidemic has made the situation much worse. The study's systematic literature analysis revealed that there should be less external control management and more decentralization in school administration and leadership. In this way, the education sector should advance the ideas of school-based administration, equifinality, and the idea that schools are self-managing systems. In other words, the industry should shift away from old notions that favour centralization, standard organization, and the idea that schools merely apply systems. This calls for the industry to make greater investments in its digital transformation, such as major investments in digital technologies that can help with school management and leadership. According to the study's findings, implementing school-based management of schools can be a useful strategy for reducing COVID-19's unfavourable short- and long-term consequences, giving the industry a stronger advantage in the age of technological transition.