Prior to April 1993, the educational system in South Africa consisted of five separate departments of education. The Department of Education and Training (DET) governed education for the 10 black groups, excluding independent states and self-governing states. This paper describes the DET's inservice training policy for senior personnel, particularly the Top-Down Program and the Farm School Program. In the Top-Down Program, school inspectors trained group facilitators, who then trained principals. The program consisted of a core curriculum, coaching, and development of everyday competencies. In a questionnaire administered to 38 principals, a majority of respondents reported that the program had helped them improve their planning, organizational, leadership, and supervisory skills. The Farm School Program was a national program for the education of rural black children. Farm-school management was the joint responsibility of the DET and the farm owner. The aims of the Farm School Management and Teacher Development Project were to improve the professional skills and competencies of farm-school principals and teachers, and to uplift the educational experiences of farm school pupils. An evaluation of the project indicated that it and the Top-Down Program were up to standard and innovative. Three tables and one figure are included. Contains 15 references. (LMI)