The management of parental involvement activities by school management teams in primary schools in townships southwest of Johannesburg (Soweto), Gauteng

Abstract

Parental involvement is viewed as a major topic in the educational fraternity based on the fact that it is a worldwide and internationally-acclaimed practice in school governance and in current educational reforms. The focus of this study is therefore on the investigation of the management of parental involvement in sampled primary schools in townships southwest of Johannesburg, within the jurisdiction of the Johannesburg North Education District (JNED) in Gauteng province. In order to bring all stakeholders on board so as to achieve quality in education as well as improved learner performance, a holistic approach to parental involvement and its management thereof was employed. The current educational reforms are major characteristics in various countries in the world such as Canada, United States of America (USA), New Zealand (NZ), United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of South Africa (RSA). I undertook literature study on the educational reforms in the above countries where the legal statutes which mandate parents’ involvement in the support of their children’s education are explored in detail. To produce data during the course of the study, a qualitative approach was used where interviews from a sample of six principals, thirty-six educators and thirty-six parents were used. Observations as well as document review were used during the data production process. As part of the findings of the study, the programmes aim at improving the knowledge and skills of the parents in the township schools were supposed to be developed by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) through the schools to help these parents to assist their children at home. Educating the township parents on their roles and responsibilities in the implementation of parental involvement in the school and its benefit is very important as it leads to the realisation of quality in education as well as improved learner performance. The effective management of parental involvement by the principal and the School Management Team (SMT) is enhanced by the collaboration of efforts and minds which lead to schools achieving excellence in their academics. The parents in these townships are not hands-on when it comes to the day-to-day running of the school due to some reasons that would be concluded after the findings. As a result a recommendation is made to engage all the parents, regardless of their social and economic status, in the affairs of the school according to the democratic framework within school governance. The approximation of the customised educational menu will be realised through effective and proper planning.