Exploration of school governing bodies’ legal mandates : the case of Mopani district in Limpopo province

Abstract

Schools in Mopani District are governed by School Governing Bodies that are incapable of performing fiduciary responsibilities. They cannot interpret and implement school policies in their respective schools. Fiduciary duty is a legal concept describing the relationship between two parties that obligates one to act solely in the interest of the other. Most parents are illiterate preventing them from effectively participating in SGB meetings. In most cases, it appears that the views of the principals are considered final decisions because they have the necessary special skills. They dominate in the SGB meetings during discussions. Many studies have been conducted on SGBs and their functionality, however, I have not found any that sought to address my research question. Therefore, it is for this reason that this qualitative case study aims to explore the legal mandates of the SGBs in the Mopani District regarding policy interpretation and implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with focus groups. Four rural primary schools from different Circuits in Mopani District were purposefully sampled. In the first two primary schools, the Principal, the SGB chairperson, and the educator who represents educators in the SGB from each school were purposefully sampled for semi-structured interviews. The focus group interviews which consisted of six members from each school, the Principal, the SGB chairperson, an educator serving in the SGB, and three additional members of the SGB were conducted in the last two primary schools. Document analysis from four sampled primary schools was also conducted. Based on the findings, the following recommendations are suggested: co-opting retired education practitioners to serve in the SGBs. To come up with a clear programme or schedule of SGB training and workshops. Assessing the level of understanding of SGB members at the end of the training and workshops. Recruiting experts on school governance bodies for capacitating the SGB members.