Views of parent governors’ roles and responsibilities of rural schools in South Africa

Abstract

This article is based on the findings of a qualitative case study, which formed part of a nationwide research project. The project named 500 Schools Community Engagement Project was conducted by the academics of the University of South Africa in five provinces of South Africa. It used a mixed methods approach. However, for this article, only qualitative data were utilised. As part of gathering data, a case study was also used to enhance the findings of the larger project on the role of parent governors. Six parent governors from two schools belonging to two rural provinces, namely, Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal were purposefully sampled for the case study; three from each province. The case study aimed to investigate the views of parent governors’ roles and responsibilities. In-depth individual interviews were utilised to gather data from participants. Data analysis was conducted thematically. Findings suggested that problems still exist around issues of the understanding and implementation of the South African Schools Act in the sampled schools. It was evident from the findings that parent governors unintentionally or intentionally shifted their governance roles and responsibilities to principals. A suggested, a strategy to improve cooperation among School Governing Bodies and School Management Teams is to involve universities in the training of newly elected School Governing Bodies.

Keywords:

• School governing bodies
• literacy levels
• community engagement
• and training

Public Interest Statement

The pursuit of quality in education is one of the fundamental drivers in the educational transformation process. School Governing Bodies (SGBs) are in the front line to create an environment for quality education. South Africa, as a democratic country, introduced policies and legal frameworks to empower schools and School Governing Bodies to perform their tasks optimally. However, the level of education of parent governors in certain rural schools is still a concern. Their lack of knowledge of interpreting and implementing the South African Schools Act (SASA) forces them to shift their responsibilities to the principals. This article reflects the parent governors’ views on the shifting of their responsibility to the principal. It also analyses their understanding of their non-performance as prescribed by the SASA. The paper suggests ways of equipping parent governors with skills and knowledge that will contribute towards functional school governance and not disempower them.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

SJ Mohapi

Dr SJ Mohapi is managing the Centre for Continuing Education and Training at the University of South Africa within the College of Education. She has championed several projects conducted in South Africa. She is currently leading the Together Making Schools Better Project. She teaches and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students at Unisa. She has made a number of conference presentations internationally.

T Netshitangani

Dr T Netshitangani is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Management at the University of South Africa. Her research interests lie in gender in Educational Management and School-based Violence. She is also keenly interested in qualitative research. She has authored and co-authored articles in accredited journals. She has also made a number of conference presentations internationally. Her responsibilities are to teach postgraduate students and to supervise students in Educational Management.