Beyond clerical support: school administrative clerks’ ethical contribution to the professional functioning of their schools

This article is based on the view that school administrative clerks’ professional contribution to schools are significant and noteworthy. However, the nature of their work especially for South African working class contexts remains under appreciated. The article addresses this caveat.  Using an ‘ethics of the self’ framework the article posits that school administrative clerks in low socioeconomic contexts rework their subjectivities by adopting ethical goals and practices in response to their working environments. As they engage in these ethical practices, we contend that their practices contribute to students’ wellbeing and that their practices positively influence school administration, teaching and learning. Based on a qualitative study of selected school administrative clerks, this article key contribution is that through the clerks’ ethical selfformation practices they provide a modest but noteworthy professional / educational service in South Africa’s working class schools.