Shared perceptions and assessment of financial management conduct in rural schools of South Africa : the case of Mpumalanga province

Abstract

This study is on shared perceptions and assessment of financial management conduct in rural schools of South Africa: the case of Mpumalanga Province. The objective of this investigation was to understand and reveal the financial management conduct of school governing bodies in rural schools of South Africa, particularly in Mpumalanga Province. This study adopted a qualitative research approach in gathering and analysing the data. For data collection, face-to-face semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, a literature review and document analysis were used. Many scholars who investigated school financial management argue about the manner in which school governing bodies manage school finances. In this study research conducted claimed that school governing bodies in rural schools cannot execute their Section 21 functions due to lack of proficiency and knowledge to exercise their new powers effectively, including management of finances, because of high rates of adult illiteracy where parents may not be able to play a meaningful role in school governance irrespective of the training they have received. This has contributed to the lack of improvement in the education of learners in schools. However, in this study research findings have pointed out that there is immense improvement of literacy level of school governing bodies in rural areas. This is due to the fact that most of the members who are involved in current membership of SGBs are current teachers, former teachers and people who are exposed to management of finances in their work places and are able to read and write. The findings of this study have significance for researchers countrywide, particularly those interested in the school financial management legislation and policy implementation, and the challenges and improvements in the institutional environments. Therefore, this study has the potential to motivate these researchers to undertake further research in this field of discipline. This study recommends that school governing bodies should be adequately trained and motivated, and that schools’ financial legislation should include a minimum literacy level as a membership requirement in order to improve the financial management conduct.

Hierdie studie is op gedeelde persepsies en beoordeling van finansiële bestuur behartig in landelike skole van Suid-Afrika: die geval van Mpumalanga Provinsie. Die doelstelling van hierdie ondersoek was om te verstaan en onthul die finansiële bestuur gedragskode van die skool beheerliggame in landelike skole van Suid-Afrika, veral in die Mpumalanga Provinsie. Hierdie studie aangeneem 'n kwalitatiewe navorsing benadering in versamel en ontleding van die data. Vir dataversameling, aangesig tot semi gestruktureerde onderhoude, fokus-groep onderhoude, 'n literatuur oorsig en dokument analise gebruik is. Baie geleerdes wat ondersoek finansiële skoolbestuur argumenteer iewers sterf wyse waarop skool beheerliggame bestuur skool finansies. In hierdie studie onderneem geëis dat skool beheerliggame in landelike skole uitvoer kan hul Artikel 21 funksioneer as gevolg van gebrek aan vaardigheid en kennis om hul nuwe bevoegdhede doeltreffend uitoefen, insluitend bestuur van finansies, as gevolg van hoë koerse van volwasse ongeletterdheid waar ouers mag nie in staat wees om te speel 'n betekenisvolle rol in die skool beheer ongeag die opleiding hulle ontvang het. Dit het bygedra om die gebrek aan verbetering in die onderwys van leerders in skole. Egter, in hierdie studie navorsingsbevindings het uitgewys dat daar is geweldige verbetering van geletterdheid vlak van skool beheerliggame in landelike gebiede. Dit is as gevolg van die feit dat die meeste van die lede wat betrokke is by huidige lidmaatskap van SBLe is huidige onderwysers, voormalige onderwysers en mense wat blootgestel word aan bestuur van finansies in hul werksplekke en is in staat om te lees en skryf. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie het betekenis vir navorsers landwyd, veral diegene wat belangstel in die skool finansiële bestuur wetgewing en implementering van die beleid, en die uitdagings en verbeterings in die institusionele omgewings. Dus, hierdie studie het die potensiaal om te motiveer hierdie navorsers te onderneem verdere navorsing in hierdie veld van dissipline. Hierdie studie beveel aan dat skool beheerliggame moet behoorlik opgelei en gemotiveer en wat skole se finansiële wetgewing moet insluit 'n minimum geletterdheid vlak as 'n lidmaatskap vereiste ten einde die finansiële bestuur gedrag verbeter.

Patlisiso e, e ka ga kabelano ya mmono le tlhatlhobo ya maitsholo a tsamaiso ya madi mo dikolong tsa metseselegae tsa Afrika Borwa mo Porofinsing ya Mpumalanga. Maikaelelo a patlisiso e, e ne e le go tlhaloganya le go senola maitsholo a makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo tsa metseselegae tsa Afrika Borwa, bogolo mo Porofinsing ya Mpumalanga. Patlisiso e, e dirisitse mokgwa wa kwalitetifi go kokoanya le go phetlha dintlha. Go dirisitwse le mokgwa wa go buisana le motho a le mongwe, puisano le lekoko la batho, tsekatsheko ya dikwalwa le phetlhololo ya dikwalo. Mo patlisisong e, dipatlisiso tse di dirilweng di senola gore makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo kwa dikolong tsa metseselegae ga ba na bokgoni jwa tsamaiso e e lolameng ya madi ka ntlha ya tlhokego ya boitseanape le kitso, mme se se tlhola tsamaiso e e sokameng ya madi. Le fa go ntse jalo, dipatlisiso di senotse tlhabologo mo seelong sa borutegi jwa makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo a mo malatsing gompieno. Tlhabologo e, e tlholwa ke gore maloko a mantsi a makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo ke barutabana ba ba sa ntseng ba diragatsa ‘tiro tsa bona tsa barutabana, barutabana ba ba tlogetseng tiro, fa maloko a mangwe e le a dirang ‘tiro tsa botsamaise jwa madi kwa ditheong tsa bona tse di farologaneng mme e bile ba itse go kwala le go buisa. Ditshenolo tsa patlisiso e, di botlhokwa go babatlisise naga ka bophara, bogolo babatlisise ba ba nang le kgatlhego mo dipatlisisong tsa tsamaiso le tiriso ya madi mo dikolong, dikgwetlho le tlhabololo ya tiriso ya madi mo ditheong tse di farologaneng tsa thuto. Ka patlisiso e, babatlisise ba ka kgatlhegela go dira dipatlisiso tse dingwe tsa mothale o mo letlhakoreng le la borutegi. Patlisiso e, e tshitshinya gore makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo a tshwanetse go katisiwa, ba rotloediwe le gore melao ya tsamaiso ya madi ya makgotla a dikolo e akaretse molawana wa tlhokego ya borutegi jo bo rileng fa go tlhophiwa maloko.