Gregory McPherson examines the functioning of school governing bodies in four schools
In 1997 School Governing Bodies (SGBs) were elected at all public schools and in secondary public schools Learner Representative Councils (LRCs) were formed. SGBs comprise elected representatives of parents, educators, non-educators and, in secondary schools, learners and the principal, with parents always holding a majority.
The Schools Act empowers SGBs with the responsibility of school governance while LRCs, through their representatives on the SGB, are involved in school policy and decision-making. A three-year study (1997 to 2000) of four secondary schools followed the operation of SGBs and LRCs and their progress towards self-management. Although all four schools are allocated funding by their education departments, the formula for calculating the amount is not divulged to schools.
Rooiberg Secondary is a former model C school for boys in a middle class, urban area in the Free State. It is relatively advantaged, having superior resources and annual income in excess of R1.5 million. Income is derived mostly from school fees (R2 000 per learner per year) and supplemented by the departmental allocation of R100 000. Fees have increased by approximately 50% over the past three years. Over a period of 100 years, buildings have been added and facilities improved. There is a history of parental involvement and parents are keen to maintain the school’s reputation and high pass rate. The school enrolment of 800 learners is racially mixed.
Valley View Secondary is an urban former House of Representatives (HoR) co-educational school. It does not have the same resources as Rooiberg, but is considered by the authorities to be relatively advantaged. It is also located in the Free State and serves the needs of a working class mainly Coloured community. It was built 15 years ago, but the buildings have been vandalised and burgled, requiring the SGB to earmark a major portion of its budget for repairs and security and to replace equipment. The school is close to heavy industries with concomitant problems of noise and air pollution that impact on teaching and learning. Parent fees form the bulk of school income (R120 per learner per year), which has remained stable for three years. High unemployment has led to low payment levels for the 1 250 learners. Income is boosted by a departmental allocation (R180,000) but, according to the SGB chairperson, this barely covers utility costs.
Regarded by the district manager as a materially advantaged institution, Kransdraai Secondary is a former HoR co-educational school of about 1 300 learners. It is situated in a Western Cape suburb of predominantly working class families. Many parents are unionised workers, aware of their democratic rights and obligations, and actively involved in school matters. High unemployment constrains the payment of school fees (R300 per learner per year), which have increased 25% from 1999. The additional R100 000 allocation from the department helps alleviate utility costs. Enrolment remains predominantly Coloured.
Of the four schools, Mzomuhle Secondary is the most disadvantaged. As a former homeland school, it is located 10 kilometres from a rural village in southern KwaZulu-Natal and caters to isiZulu-speaking learners. Parents are poor subsistence farmers, farm labourers or unemployed and very few parents pay the full fee (R100 per learner per year). This negatively impacts on the SGB’s capacity to maintain the school and improve the quality of teaching and learning. The departmental allocation of R35 000 helps offset the high costs of building repairs and maintenance. The 460 learners are racially and ethnically homogenous.
By the end of 1997 SGBs were established in all four schools and representatives were elected. The racial composition of the governing bodies is remarkably similar in that they are almost racially homogenous even though three of the schools have mixed learner populations. Of Rooiberg’s 13 members twelve are white, while the governing bodies at Valley View and Kransdraai comprise Coloured members only and Mzomuhle’s SGB members are all black. Principals offer a variety of explanations for this, including ignorance about school governance and reluctance to participate, a personal lack of confidence among parents in their ability to engage with others, and the large distances and high transport costs of travelling to meetings.
Realising the importance of transparency and good communication in handling external relations, the feedback given to the community is viewed by the four SGBs as strategically important to build positive governance attitudes and encourage active parental participation in school matters. Constituents are informed of governing body decisions in a variety of ways. Parents are notified by means of a newsletter at Rooiberg, and parent meetings are called at Valley View, Kransdraai and Mzomuhle. In addition all schools send letters to parents.
Participation in governing body meetings varies. At Rooiberg there are high levels of participation by all representatives. This is attributed to the high degree of professionalism among SGB members, especially parents, and their familiarity with meeting procedures and education issues. SGB members at Valley View are not very active in meetings. The principal and educators claim that this is because they are struggling to find their role and grappling with meeting procedures. At Kransdraai perceptions differ: the principal reports that more capacity building is required but the chairperson disputes this by claiming that members feel empowered and are active in school matters. Thus, although discussions are characterised by debate and disagreement, the quality of the resulting decision benefits the school. At Mzomuhle there are high participation levels among the principal and educator representatives. Although parents are willing to participate and assist the school, drawbacks such as their understanding of their role and a lack of meeting skills constrain their full participation.
In all the SGBs principals are playing a determining role. This is partly because correspondence is directed to principals so they are initially more informed than SGB members. In addition, some principals have a longer tradition of managing schools on their own because governing bodies are a relatively recent structure in most schools.
The SGBs of all four schools function at various levels of effectiveness and efficiency and are moving towards self-management. The SGB of the former Model C school is performing better than those in other schools for a number of reasons. Firstly, the suburban governing body is more resourceful at fundraising by exploiting private sector networks to obtain sponsorship. Secondly, during elections they succeed in bringing in parents’ managerial expertise and therefore mobilise resources efficiently. Thirdly, the SGB governs an already well-resourced school that benefited from the differentiation of funding of the previous education paradigm. Fourthly, the governing body has the advantage of managing a school with an existing well-developed infrastructure. Lastly, the SGB effectively markets the school to ensure sustainability through continued enrolment and paid-up school fees. While progress is being made towards effective management at Valley View and Kransdraai, few of the above attributes are present at Mzomuhle.
The case studies identify the need for building the capacity of governing bodies at Valley View and Mzomuhle and equipping them with the knowledge and skills to enable them to function effectively. Problems centring on role-misunderstanding and misinterpretation of functions are worsened by the need to persuade less confident parents to become involved and to lead parents away from their dependency on a strong principal. In attempting to overcome these problems, districts are organising training workshops and using Circuit Managers and Superintendents of Education to support governing bodies.
By building the capacity of SGBs, Districts intend lessening schools’ sole dependency on principals, empowering them to assume ownership of their schools, and providing them with skills to manage independently. However, given the periodic change in governing body membership, it is likely that SGBs will always need capacity building to enable them to fulfil their roles.
— The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, March, 2001.