The role of parent governors in school financial decision-making : experiences of parent governors in Ndwedwe rural schools.
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Date
2009
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Abstract
This study focused on parent governors' experiences In school financial
decision-making. Whilst the South African Schools Act, 1996, endorses
decentralisation of finance control to all School Governing Body members, this
is not commonly the case with Ndwedwe rural School Governing Body parent
representatives in particular. It is argued that decentralised financial powers
could increase parent governors' democratic participation in the school
financial governance. However, reports from some parent governors in Section
20 and Section 21 status schools indicated that parent governors still face
severe challenges in making financial decisions. In this regard, the study
investigated the voices of parent governors regarding school financial
decision-making. The study drew on a qualitative interpretive approach of
parent governors' experiences in a small sample of schools selected by means
of purposeful sampling. For the purpose of data collection, an interview
schedule was designed to allow flow of probing, clarifying and motivating the
respondents where necessary. Document analysis informed subsequent data
collection from the interviews. The findings indicated that the majority of
parent governors in the schools studied were still dependent on their
principals, had language difficulties and faced huge challenges in the' No
Fee' paying schools. The study concluded that in the schools selected, school
financial governance was not taking place as it should. To achieve quality in
financial governance, continuous support of rural SGBs on financial decisionmaking
is necessary, effective SGBs should twin with ineffective SGBs,
financial documents must also include IsiZulu versions and the Department of
Education should lift the restrictions on allocated funds.
Description
Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.
Keywords
Theses--Education., School boards--KwaZulu-Natal.