Participation of Parents in School Governance: A Case Study of Two Eastern Cape Schools: A View from Below

Abstract

This study investigated the participation of parent SGB members in school governance. It also explored how parent School Governing Body (SGB) members participate in school governance in executing the roles of the SGBs. South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 stipulates that SGBs be constituted of parents who are in majority, teachers, non teaching staff and learners in the case of secondary schools. This study therefore used the qualitative research approach through structured and semi structured interviews and documentary analysis to investigate how parent SGB members participate in school governance. From the findings it emerged that parent SGB members regarded their roles as that of calling meetings, chairing meetings, formulating school policies, ensuring culture of teaching and learning and managing school finances. It also emerged that parent SGB members do not differentiate between their role and that of the SMT. Most SGB subcommittees seem to be dysfunctional and it emerged from the data that parent SGB members regarded educators as persons who should deal with school finances and matters of procurement. The majority of parent SGB members did not know what policies the school must adopt they regarded this as something that is better known by the educators. Hence, parent SGB members understood school governance to be better understood by educators and their role to be more operational than strategic. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n3p454