0.3 Analysis of results and research findings  (Page 6/7)

Clarke (2008; 281) indicates that SASA makes it quite clear that the school governing body has the ultimate responsibility for the financial management of the school – the principal as a member of the school governing body shares this responsibility. Mestry (2004; 129) shares this viewpoint when he states that although the SGB is accountable to the parents for the school fund, the principal must play a supportive role in ensuring that the schools finances are managed efficiently.

4.3.6.theme 6: stakeholder involvement

Most principals and educators agreed that schools experienced great difficulty in getting parents involved in school governance. None of the nine schools interviewed were able to elect the parent component of the “new” SGB because all nine election meetings were not quorate – notwithstanding the state amending its quorum requirements from 50% to 15%.

Principal 6: “Even when we are successful in electing parents to the SGB we are faced with a high turnover rate (parents simply never return after being elected) resulting in instability.”

Principal 4: “Our follow-up parent election meeting was attended by six parents who automatically became the parent members of the SGB. How can these “uneducated” people manage our schools – no wonder our schools are in a mess.”

Parent 4: “These are the things (these derogatory comments) that keep us away from the school – these insults. We don’t want to take away the principals power – we just want to make sure that the right things are done.”

Educator 4: “To have uneducated lay people leading the school governing bogy, deciding on, inter alia, staffing issues and staff promotions, managing and being accountable for hundreds of thousands of rand doesn’t make sense. What was government thinking? No wonder education in this province is in a mess.”

Parents on the other hand saw participation on the SGB as one of their inalienable democratic rights and also a means to become involved in the education of their children.

Parent 3: “We have a fantastic working relationship with the principal and staff. Granted we don’t know everything but the principal regularly arranges developmental workshops.”

Parent 7: “The principal regularly undermines our authority and as parents we have a constitutional right to serve as school governors. We expect the principal to disclose information to us.”

The South African Schools Act requires the Head of Department to ensure that principals assist governing bodies in performing their functions. The success of a SGB in carrying out its statutory functions and arguably the success of the school (in terms of its pass rate) depends on the principal and staff working collaboratively with the SGB, especially in the area of financial management.

In respect of the delegation of governance duties to members of staff, participants had differing opinions.

Principal 3 indicated that there was no need to delegate governance duties to members of his staff as his school had employed a financial secretary and a bursar.