The emergence of educational administration as a field of study in Africa: Some epistemological thoughts on context, research and scholarly work.

In this commentary, the author argues for the foundation of the field of educational administration that is specifically oriented towards the African educational contexts, and is critical about the adoption of 'alien,' imported theories and concepts 'blindly.' Underpinned by literatures from sociology of knowledge, educational research and epistemology of sciences, the development of educational administration as an Anglo-American field of study is briefly analysed, followed by an attention given to the many distinctions between African educational systems and school leadership and those in Anglo-American nations. The paper concludes by suggesting four challenges for scholars and researchers from Africa whose main focus is on educational administration and leadership, such as the generation of applied knowledge from and for the African educational system, as well as the exploration of new areas of study that are unique to the African contexts.