The issue of good governance in the corporate sector and in a number of parastatals, including the likes of the SABC and Eskom, has received plenty of exposure in the press lately. Good governance is not only a matter of importance in big business, it is also an important element of a school’s success.
In an effort to promote good governance at schools, the Proudly South African Campaign with the support of CGF Research Institute recently announced the launch of an initiative it hopes will improve the quality of governance in schools.
At the heart of the initiative is an annual competition to identify and reward the country’s best governed schools.
Although the details of the competition are yet to be finalised, now is a good time for schools to review the work of their school governing body and the ethical conduct of its members.
The generic example of a code of conduct we have provided below has been designed to help you and your governing body to evaluate their performance and ethical conduct. It can also be used as the basis of a code of conduct for your future governing body if you do not already have one.
The code below is an abbreviated version of a sample code for school governing bodies from * The Handbook for School Governors and is used with permission.
General conduct of members of a school governing body
1 A member of a school governing body must:
1.1 Conduct himself or herself at all times in the best interests of the school and not become involved in any action that may bring him or her into disrepute;
1.2 Not become involved in any action which may bring the school into disrepute or in any way harm the good name of the school, the governing body or any member of the school or governing body;
1.3 Conduct himself or herself at all times in a manner that brings credit to the governing body and the school;
1.4 Conduct himself or herself in a responsible and sensible manner in the performance of his or her duties as a member of the governing body;
1.5 Work at all times to the best of his or her abilities and skills to ensure that the work of the governing body is carried out in terms of the requirements of the law and the stipulations of the constitution of the governing body;
1.6 Refrain from doing anything that may harm the relationship of trust between the governing body and the school; and
1.7 Conduct himself or herself at all times in a manner conducive to the smooth running of the school and meetings of the school governing body.
Financial matters
2 A member of a governing body must:
2.1 Maintain the highest standards of ethical behaviour in matters pertaining to money and the management of school funds;
2.2 Ensure impeccable honesty in dealing with documentation and records pertaining to the financial matters of the school;
2.3 Do all in his or her power to ensure that the financial and other resources of the school are responsibly utilised;
2.4 Ensure that all financial dealings are conducted honestly and in terms of the applicable policies, rules, regulations and prescripts as determined by the head of department of the provincial department of education and the governing body;
2.5 Ensure that all dealings with commercial banks are conducted in a proper manner and in terms of relevant policies and practices; and
2.6 Timeously inform the governing body of his or her immediate relatives’ interests in financial matters related to the governing body.
Disclosure of information relating to the governing body, the school, a parent, a learner or an employee of the school
3 A member of the governing body may not:
3.1 Make statements to the media or to any person, or provide the media or any person with information related to the governing body, any member of the governing body, the school, a parent, a learner or any employee of the school, unless it is done in terms of the approved policy or rules of the governing body;
3.2 Disseminate false information or unsubstantiated allegations about the governing body or any member of the governing body, the school, a parent, a learner or any employee of the school. Each member of the governing body must treat all information that he or she obtains in his or her capacity as a member of the governing body as confidential, unless the law prescribes otherwise.
The governing body may prescribe, at its discretion, any information as confidential.
Behaviour with regard to the employees at the school
4 A member of the governing body must at all times refrain from doing anything that may be construed as interference in the professional management of the school or with any educator’s performance of his or her professional and other tasks and refrain from doing anything that may be seen as interference with the work of a non-educator in the performance of his or her duties at the school.
Misconduct
5 A member of a governing body is guilty of misconduct if he or she transgresses any stipulation or obligation of this code of conduct or transgresses any common or statutory law that has a direct link with his or her membership of the governing body, or that in any way disadvantages the school or the governing body, or brings them into disrepute.
Alan Clarke, The Handbook for School Governors (Kate McCallum, Cape Town, 2007). Clarke is former headmaster of Westerford High, Cape Town