Implementation of policies has been variedly defined. According to Fullan (1991:65)
implementation is
:
The process of putting into practice an idea, programme, or set of activities and
structures new to the people attempting or expected to change.
It is a phase of attempted use of innovation (Hopkins et al., 1997). It is the most crucial part
of the chan
ge process where programmes can be adopted and affected in schools or
neglected. Hord (1987:76) points out that “implementation is the likeliest point that
innovations break down” and as such “is a serious business requiring considerable planning,
nurturin
g and active involvement if it is to be fully realised”. It is during this phase that skills
and understanding are being acquired, some success is achieved, and the responsibility is
delegated to working groups of teachers (Geijsel et al. 2001). Hopkins et
al. (1997:74) make a
distinction between “pre
-
implementation and implementation”. They argue that many
innovations founder at the pre
-
implementation stage because not enough support has been
generated. Implementation involves a wide range of actors engage
d in ongoing decisions
about a wide range of specific allocations of public resources.