School Governing Bodies Research Articles

Tensions between School Governing Body and School Management Team: Enhancing Cooperation of the School

Tensions between School Governing Body and School Management Team: Enhancing Cooperation of the School

AN OVERVIEW OF AN OMBUD OFFICE TO ENHANCE COOPERATION BETWEEN SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

AN OVERVIEW OF AN OMBUD OFFICE TO ENHANCE COOPERATION BETWEEN SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Decentralised Strategic Planning and Capacity Development as Drivers of Leadership Performance in Schools

The purpose of this article is to determine the association between decentralised strategic planning and capacity development as driving forces of leadership for improved performance in public high schools in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. This study used pragmatism as a research paradigm and followed a parallel convergent mixed methods research approach. The sample comprised 170 respondents consisting of 130 school governing body (SGB) members and 40 Department of Education (DoE) officials. Quantitative data were collected from SGB members through a survey while qualitative data were collected from participants using focus group discussions (FGDs) and individual interviews. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis while SPSS software was used to analyse quantitative data. In testing the hypothesis, it was proven that decentralised strategic planning capacity in SGBs was associated with the effectiveness of strategic planning in Mpumalanga’s high schools. The study revealed that the variables, capacity development and decentralised strategic planning, are well associated, and influence leadership for improved performance in high schools. The study also found that school leaders who can develop capacity are able to promote better performance in their schools. Meanwhile, the qualitative results concurrently supported the results of the quantitative study as the influence of capacity development on decentralised school planning proved to have improved school performance and effective decentralised school leadership.

Utilisation of ICT Tools for School Governance amid COVID-19 Crisis in South Africa

Teaching and learning activities in South African schools are a focus of several research on the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) resources during the COVID-19 crisis. However, more studies are required to examine how the school principals and the parent-members of the School Governing Bodies (SGBs) used the ICT tools to undertake communication on school governance activities during the COVID-19 lockdown. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis in South African schools, this study examined the use of ICT technologies for decision-making communications relating to issues of school governance between the principals and the SGBs. Utilising a quantitative research methodology, information was gathered from 126 school principals who were chosen at random from the Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) in East London, South Africa. The data analysis method employed was descriptive statistics. The findings showed that the majority of SGB parent members had basic ICT skills, could read and write, used ICT tools like smartphones, voice calls, and SMS messaging, which enabled them to interact with school principals and take part in decision-making related to school governance activities during the COVID-19 crisis. The participants described some of the difficulties associated with their choice of ICT tools, including broken smart phones, a lack of expertise with WhatsApp and Telegram, and slow message answers. The study concludes that the SGBs need to align their school policies with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and adopt more ICT platforms for effective communications, governance, teaching, and learning activities in the new normal. It also recommends that, school principals and other SGB members still need to be trained and retrained for the use of ICT tools for efficient virtual or online participation in meetings; and there is also a need to equip SGB members with digital devices such as tablets, laptops, smartphones, and internet data subscriptions to encourage their participation in meetings from homes, offices or any other locations outside of school premises.

Salvaging the Educational System through Effective Leadership: A Case Study of Rural Secondary Schools in South Africa

The South African education system is currently experiencing various challenges such as school violence, drug abuse, vandalism and burning of school properties. Educationists, administrators, policy custodians and leaders of institutions are in a dilemma regarding effective managerial leadership of their organizations. This article discussed appropriate measures that institutional leaders must develop to ensure an open space for other community leaders to actively participate in the running of institutions. The rationale behind this paper was to come up with solutions that would help school leaders to lead and manage schools effectively and efficiently. A phenomenological study was conducted with an interpretive-constructivism approach in schools to establish the capabilities and competencies of school principals regarding the incorporation of other community leaders in their schools. Data was collected through face-to-face in-depth individual interviews with the School Governing Bodies (SGB) chairpersons, SMT members, LRC representing learners in the SGB, community leaders, religious leaders, and business leaders. Data was thematically analyzed and it revealed that: Principals have failed to open up space for community leaders to participate in school matters; Education leaders lack the competencies and capacities to share leadership with other community leaders. The study thus advocates firstly, for school principals through SGBs to accommodate Community Resource Centres (CRCs). Secondly, highly esteemed leaders from various community stakeholders should be involved in prominent school decision-making processes and problem-solving practices. Thirdly, training workshops should be conducted to help school leaders develop necessary leadership skills and to map out strategies to effectively involve community leaders in school matters. Fourthly, the institutional leaders must organize training workshops for both school and community leaders on how to work collaboratively and peacefully for effective school management. This article adds to the existing literature on enhancing the South African Educational System. Keywords: School Principals, Communal Support, Shared Competencies, Teacher Capability and Effective Leadership.

Factors inhibiting effective quality learning and teaching: a case of five schools in the EC Province of South Africa

This article analyses factors that inhibit the quality of learning and teaching in one of the provinces of South Africa. The interpretive approach was used together with face-to-face interviews to collect data from five secondary schools. Two participants were interviewed in each school in the OR Tambo Coastal District in the Eastern Cape. Findings revealed that owing to large numbers of learners in the classroom, teachers’ workload is increased. Consequently, it is difficult for teachers to give feedback and provide learners with individual attention. Many under-resourced schools, such as rural schools, still face unacceptably high learner-teacher ratios and large classes in their schools. Teachers had problems in establishing discipline in their classrooms and dealing with the increasing noise level which made it difficult for learners to hear the teacher. It is recommended that School Governing Bodies should hire SGB-paid teachers. The Department of Basic Education should assist the schools with more classrooms. The Department of Education should also provide schools with resources such textbooks, big screens, overhead projectors and microphones in order for teachers to be effective.

Challenges of Women Leaders in South African Schools: Towards a Resolution

This article explored the challenges of women leaders in South African schools, in the Gauteng Province. Existing studies on this issue only document the situation but do not specify or suggest frameworks on how the challenges can be dealt with. The article used secondary data sources obtained in both grey and academic literature, using terms such as women leaders, women leader challenges, women empowerment and women emancipation as key terms. It also utilised in-depth interviews conducted with a total of 52 education stakeholders consisting of six male and female principals, six male and female deputy principals, 12 male and female departmental heads, 18 Post Level one teachers, five male and female members of the School Governing Body (SGB) from staff and parent components, three Gauteng Department of Education officials, one representative of South African Principals Association in Gauteng and one labour union representative who were selected purposively. The theoretical framework adopted in the article integrated feminist and sociocultural theories. The article showed that women leaders faced a variety of social, cultural and structural challenges. It proposed the deployment of transformational leadership across all levels of the department as the best long-lasting solution.

Partnership to promote school governance and academic experience: Integration of remote learning in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the uMkhanyakude district

Despite high hopes that schools are institutions of integrity and are properly governed, very few have demonstrated this with distinction. With this article we argue that good governance depends on the partnership between schools and parents in times of emergency. The theoretical framework from Epstein’s theory of overlapping spheres of influence was used to alarm stakeholders to guard against overlapping one’s roles during an emergency. In the study reported on here we used a qualitative research method, which allows data to be collected using semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions as research instruments. The data were collected from stakeholders of school governing bodies (SGBs) and school management teams (SMTs) through WhatsApp and Zoom meetings. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The research findings reveal, among other problems, that most parents are digital immigrants who refuse to participate in virtual platforms for fear of endorsing remote learning, and that poor teaching and learning is due to a lack of access to digital technology, data, and poor connectivity. We recommend that parents should support remote learning for learners to achieve quality education beyond the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

AN EXPLORATORY SURVEY ABOUT THE QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING IN VHEMBE DISTRICT SCHOOLS

The study was conducted at Malamulele Central and Malamulele-West educational districts of Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. Data was gathered from 4 schools. Three of the 4 schools were public schools, whereas 1 of the schools was a private school. All 4 schools fall under the same circuit. The study was conducted in order to assess and evaluate the quality of leadership provided by the School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in the 4 schools. The 4 schools were Jim Yingwane High School (Public school), Mahlefunye Primary School (Public school), EPP Mhinga High School (Public school), and Holy Rosary Catholic School (Private or independent school). The total number of students in the 4 schools was 2, 500. Data was collected on a total of 49 variables of the study by using a questionnaire. All 4 schools were under the Malamulele Central and Malamulele-West educational districts of Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. From among the 4 schools, 3 are public schools, whereas 1 is a private schools. All 4 schools fall under the same circuit. Data was collected from 27 members of SGBs and 58 teachers and 20 circuit officials (105 participants of study). Data was collected from 105 eligible participants by using a self-administered questionnaire of study. The quantitative aspect of study entailed collecting data from n=105 respondents. Frequency tables, percentages, pie charts and bar charts were used for summarising results. The results showed that 69 of the 105 respondents (66%) of the 105 respondents were happy with the quality of academic leadership in SGBs. The remaining 36 of the 105 respondents (34%) were not happy with the quality of academic leadership in SGBs.

Innovative stakeholder engagement in rural secondary school: The impact on the learners’ performance and the quality of education

The stakeholder engagement process entails schools soliciting information and ideas from various stakeholders for them to meaningfully contribute to the school’s success. The involvement of multiple stakeholders leads to effective school management (Bruns et al., 2011). The presence of stakeholders improves learner performance and educational quality. The stakeholders in the school are those who help the school achieve its goals and objectives, either directly or indirectly (Darrel et al., 2020). This paper seeks to investigate the extent to which rural secondary school principals engage stakeholders such as school governing bodies (SGBs), parents, community members, businesspeople, civic organizations, and teachers in novel ways to improve learners’ performance and educational quality. The quantitative descriptive case study method was employed. Using a simple random sampling method, 110 principals were selected from a population of 151 principals of secondary schools in the Vhembe district, Limpopo province, South Africa. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. The findings of the study revealed that principals involve some stakeholders in school activities, including SGBs, teachers, students, and parents. The study, however, found that principals are not engaging with stakeholders such as civic groups, businesspeople, non-governmental organizations, and alumnae. If principals want to reap the benefits of stakeholder engagement in schools, they should not be picky about who they invite to participate. Since education is a societal issue, they should take a comprehensive approach to stakeholder engagement.

Collaboration: The key to managing discipline in South African schools

South African schools are faced with an arguably insurmountable problem as a culture of indiscipline continually increases in schools. Despite being undeterred by the legal framework that guides stakeholders in the discipline crisis in schools, indiscipline in schools has soared to critical levels. Scant literature exists on how stakeholders collaborate in managing discipline in schools. The research reported on here was guided by the primary research question: How do stakeholders collaborate in managing discipline in schools? As such, in this article we explore how stakeholders collaborate in managing discipline in schools. Through purposive sampling, 16 participants from 4 secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal were chosen to take part in semi-structured interviews. The sample of participants comprised school management team members (SMT); the principal, 1 head of department, 1 post-level 1 educator and 1 school governing body (SGB) member from 4 schools in the iLembe education district. Themes that emerged from the data include that implementation of the school code of conduct as one of the most effective strategies in managing discipline in schools. The inclusion of stakeholders such as the local community, the Community Police Forum, the South African Police Services and the Department of Social Development in the successful management of learner discipline surfaced as an important theme. Furthermore, participants asserted that a whole-school approach to the implementation of the code of conduct was successful in managing discipline. The participants revealed that the collaboration of stakeholders in schools was very important for the smooth running of the school, including the management of discipline.

A Culture of Exclusion: Re-Configuring Inclusive Education in South Africa

Abstract The realisation of the right to education under the South African Constitution remains complex despite progressive legislation and a supportive policy framework. The complexity has highlighted the continued cultural and structural inequality of the South African public schooling system. Specifically, inclusive education and its support for learners experiencing barriers to learning illustrate the contested nature of this right, with many of these learners remaining marginalised. This article explores the concept of inclusive education as it relates to the broader contextual framework of the South African right to education. It highlights the shortcomings of the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996, in supporting authoritarian management through School Governing Bodies that has eroded the intended purpose of the Act as a beacon of community participation and transparent decision making. Key to the analysis, is establishing how South African courts have assisted learners experiencing barriers to learning, and how litigating access to public schools in challenging the policy prescripts of School Governing Bodies have hindered the implementation of inclusive education.

Managing the disabling environment in the South African Secondary Schooling to Promote Safety and Security

The objective of this paper is to critique lack of safety and security in public secondary schools. The paper is both conceptual and empirical in nature within the qualitative research paradigm. The question guiding this paper is: what shall it take to have public secondary school learners stopping to compromise the safety and security measures in their institutions? Interviewing technique and documents review, were employed to generate data. Out of the population of 17 secondary schools in one of the circuits in Vhembe district, in Limpopo Province, South Africa, three were conveniently sampled. Those were the secondary schools that had safety and security lapses that resulted in disabling or unpleasant schooling environment in their institutions. In each of the three sampled secondary school, a School Principal, a School Governing Body Chairperson and a Chairperson for the Representative Council of Learners became research participants. The total number of research participants amounted to nine. Findings revealed that firstly, secondary schools need to create school safety and security officers. Secondly, secondary schools need to embrace a restorative approach to safety and security. Thirdly, secondary schools need to emphasise reduction and eradication of safety and security threats. Fourthly, secondary schools need to regularly conduct safety and security audits. Fifthly, secondary schools need to avoid learner maltreatment and harassment. Lastly, secondary schools need to perfect their safety and security reporting systems. The researcher recommends for the public secondary schooling environments to be free from fear, intimidation and victimisation. This implies secondary schooling needs to prioritise the achievement of safer and secured schooling environment for the sustainable performance of learners.

Change Management as a requirement in Introducing ICT in curriculum delivery

The main objective of this study is to establish the role that change management plays in introducing ICT in curriculum delivery with special reference to Gauteng Province. A desktop literature review and a mixed method approach was adopted to gather information on how change management can impact on the effectiveness of ICT integration, not only in the South African context but also on the global and African context. The study findings were that the support for ICT integration in education is overwhelmingly positive; ICT is seen as having made a positive contribution to education and also noted that more training is required to improve teachers’ competencies in ICT usage. Also, more support needs to be provided to the principals, School Management Teams (SMTs) and School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in terms of training. In order to optimise the results of the change management process in ICT integration into the curriculum, the researcher recommended the following: establish a change management committee whose sole mandate is to ensure an effective integration of ICT projects; ensure sufficient and effective continuous training support to the educators, principals, SMTs and SGBs before, during and after launch of the ICT project. Moreover, the study recommends that continuous evaluation of the change process to assess if intended objectives are being achieved as well as ensuring that undivided buy-in and support from the district and top management are the steps to be observed so that change management process happens effectively in schools. Funding is key to ensure that there is provision of ICT equipment in schools and to invest in the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure.

Factors affecting secondary schools teachers’ motivation in the Elliotdale Circuit, South Africa

This study examines factors affecting teachers’ motivation at secondary schools in the Elliotdale Circuit. The research approach adopted was qualitative. The design used was a case study. The purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample size of twenty-two (22) respondents, which comprised principals, teachers, subject advisors and teacher union representatives. Face-to-face interviews were conducted while data collected were analysed thematically. Findings revealed inadequate teacher-learner support materials in schools, non-payment of temporary teachers’ salaries, lack of access roads to and from schools, lack of secured accommodations for teachers, poverty and lack of electricity and running water in some schools were the factors affecting teachers’ job satisfaction and motivation in the secondary schools. Some recommendations were: School Governing Body to work with the Department of Education to provide schools with adequate teacher-learner support materials, to ensure regular and competitive salaries for teachers, to implement rural allowances for teachers and to provide teachers with secured accommodations, electricity and running water.

SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY CHAIRPERSONS’ PERCEPTION ON THEIR ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE RUNNING OF SCHOOLS

The concept of accountability has been portrayed as vital and pertinent in the field of public administration in general and education management in particular for several years. This is important at a time that stakeholders like educators have misconceptualised the purpose of accountability to mean inspection or the lack of trust which makes them uncomfortable. This study sought to develop a conceptual framework of School Governing Body (SGB) Chairperson’s perception of their accountability in selected schools with the purpose of facilitating learning and teaching outcomes. A qualitative paradigm using a multiple case study design was adopted. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews with 3 chairpersons. The participants were purposively selected because of our discernment that as representatives on the school governing boards, they were accountable to parents as part of their managerial responsibilities. Thematic analysis of the data was used to identify emerging themes and categories. The findings reveal clarity on the practice of accountability in the broad spectrum of school management and administration as well as with policy making and implementation.

Management of the Hatred of Schooling by Public Secondary School Pupils

This paper evaluates the cause of enmity and animosity displayed by pupils to their teachers through their hatred of schooling in myriad public educational institutions in South Africa. The paper was motivated by diverse discourses about pupil-animosity, most of which were based on the perspective of parents as members of the society. This paper is conceptual and empirical within the qualitative research paradigm. The question guiding this paper is: to what extent is the suppression of learner-desires and choices contribute to the snubbing of schooling? Narrative enquiry and interviewing techniques were used to collect data. Out of the population of 14 secondary schools in one of the circuits in Capricorn district in Limpopo Province, 6 were conveniently sampled. In each of the 6 sampled secondary schools, only Deputy Chairpersons of the School Governing Bodies became research participants. Findings revealed that hatred of schooling could be ascribed to pupils viewing schooling as an inconvenience. Secondly, failing to teach according to learners’ preferred teaching strategies. Thirdly, content delivery to pupils being alien. Fourthly, schooling that obstructs learner-hedonism. Fifthly, schooling that is naturally highly regimented. Lastly, schooling that suppresses learner-voice. The researcher recommends for schooling to close the generational gap between pupils and teachers. Furthermore, future schooling has to be conducted through virtual classrooms other than the tiresome face to face contact.

Exploring the Nature of School Violence in the Selected Public High Schools: Case Study of Jozini Settlement, Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa

The widespread nature of school violence among public high schools negatively affects educational systems, resulting to school possible dropouts and poor academic results. Despite the Department of Basic Education (DBE) strategies and recommendations in managing this scourge, a gap exists concerning management of school violence in public schools of South Africa, Jozini settlement of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province in particular. From a qualitative standpoint, coupled with case study research design, this study used purposive sample to select 25 participants as follows: Fifteen (15) Educators, three (3) Principals, three (3) Heads of Departments (HoD’s) and four (4) Social workers. Data were collected through the application of semi-structured Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and analysed using Inductive Thematic Content Analysis (TCA). The findings of this study indicate that most students experience violence in school. It is found that the common nature of school violence is verbal abuse and bulling. It is recommended that every school must have intervention team which consist of at least the local South African Police Service (SAPS) officials, KZN DBE personnel from district level, School Governing Body (SGB) members, academics and educators to deal with the outrange nature of school violence in selected public high schools of Jozini settlement. Equally, the intervention team must have at least one mandatory meeting a month to look at the matters of school violence.

All Hands on Deck! School-Community Partnerships as a Nexus for Resource Mobilisation in South African Rural Schools

Despite the fact that South Africa attained freedom nearly three decades ago, rural schools still struggle to acquire resources that will deliver quality education. International and local research confirms the critical role of school-community partnerships in advancing quality education and maximising learning outcomes. However, a paucity of research explores school-community partnerships as a nexus for resource mobilisation in South African rural schools. This qualitative study sought to explore and identify school-community partnerships through which schools within rural contexts can mobilise resources, as supported by boundary-spanning leadership and resource mobilisation theories. Data were collected, using free-attitude interviews and transect walk with photo voice, from 15 participants in three schools in a KwaZulu-Natal rural municipality. The school stakeholders included three school principals, three teachers’ school governing bodies (SGBs), three parents’ SGBs, one trade union, two nonprofit organisations, two corporate social responsibility managers, and one local municipality manager. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. Seven main school-community partnerships findings emerged from the data, which were used to make recommendations to address and improve the quality of education in the rural schools. We argue that all hands are required on deck from all school stakeholders, so as to enable the school-community partnerships aimed at resource mobilisation to work.

(DIS)ENABLERS OF DEMOCRATIZATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL GOVERNANCE IN ZAMBIA

This study sought to explore the functioning of school governing bodies (SGBs) with a view to understand how SGBs enable or disenable democracy in selected secondary schools in the Southern Province of Zambia. The study utilized a qualitative research approach and was underpinned by the conceptual framework of decentralization. The sample comprised members of SGBs (2 chairpersons, 2 head teachers, 2 parent governors, and 2 teacher governors). Data collected from interviews were analyzed thematically, while observations and document review data were analyzed using content analysis. The study established the existence of both enabling and disenabling elements in SGBs. The study concluded that the SGBs were, in the main, democratic and had implemented the principle of decentralization with participation by all eligible stakeholders. Despite the presence of democratic features, certain undemocratic elements were identified in the SGBs. The study further revealed that the SGBs’ lack of adequate preparation impacted negatively on effective delivery by members, and this was in part attributed to some of the disenabling elements found among SGBs. The study, among other things, advocates for the training of school governors if they are to act more democratically.