The role of parent governors in school financial decision-making : experiences of parent governors in Ndwedwe rural schools.

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.