This thesis examines the roles of governors within the contexts of the national framework for governance and the effect they have on schools. The field of research into the effects of school governors is an infant one. Little direct observation of governance has taken place and there is no true experimental research. In the absence of such work, the project developed a definition of effective governance through consideration of the descriptions of and prescriptions for governor activity. It used the definition to develop two research instruments. The first of these, a national questionnaire, produced some specific examples of a range of activities for governors and lead to the development of a second instrument. This, a schedule for semi- structured interviews, was applied to six case study schools. In these studies, governors and headteachers were interviewed conceming the characteristics of their goveming bodies and the outcomes for the schools were set against these characteristics. What emerges from these comparisons are some clear associations between effective outcomes and certain governor activities. These include training, monitoring, clear support for the school, the degree of trust gained with the staff, detailed knowledge of the school, and participation in school development planning. Overall, the conclusions point to connections between the manner in which governors conduct themselves and their business and the successes of the school that they govern.

No description available.

Doctor Educationis / This study is based on an investigation into the way RCL members participate in the deliberation of their School Governing Bodies. The study was conducted in two primary schools in the Western Cape town of Vredenburg. The research participants were members of the Representative Council of Learners from these schools. Focus group discussions as well as in depth interviews were used to explore the RCL members' views on the nature of their participation during SGB deliberations. the main fining of this study is that, due to external as well as in-school factors, a huge gap exists between normative RCL policy exp[ectations and the actual manifestation policy in the real world of the RCL members' schools. the findings of the study reveal a lack of participative capacities among these RCL members, which, in combination with a non participative culture at their homes, the community and the school, leads to learners being excluded from democratic processes. / South Africa

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master Of Education in the Department of Comparative and Science Education at the University of Zululand, 2018 / In the Manual: Guidelines for capacity building of school governing body members, South Africa (2015:12), “research indicates that most of the newly elected SGB members do not have the necessary capabilities to govern schools at the required level”. This view is corroborated by Pamillis (2005:23)’s assertion that “a common obstacle to democratic functioning of schools governing bodies in South Africa is the lack of capacity among many SGB members who may have not only insufficient knowledge of the legal requirements and rights of SGBs, but also lack the necessary education and skills to manage the school’s finances and business dealings and over above these deficiencies the SGB members may lack adequate support systems from the educational bureaucracy. Arguably, it is in light of these possible deficiencies that the South African Schools Act requires provincial departments of education to provide capacity-building programmes for governing bodies. Thus, as a consequence of this lack of the requisite capabilities, “experiences with decentralisation in education are somewhat mixed and often disappointing” (Azfar et al., 2001:8). This prevailing situation in respect of the lack of requisite governance skills is accounted for by the fact that “in South Africa a form of decentralisation has evolved that is strong in terms of devolution, but weak in terms of managing the disparate and often discriminatory proclivities and tendencies within local sites” (Azfar et al., 2001:8). What transpires from this is that “decentralisation South Africas not necessarily promote allocative efficiency […]” (Azfar et al., 2001:8). Thus, Azfar et al., (2001:8) view in this regard is that “whether decentralisation in fact improves or harms public sector performance appears to depend on formal institutional arrangements, as well as their interaction with social practices which influence the implementation of decentralised governance.” It is against this backdrop, therefore, that van Wyk (2007:137) argues that “in ceding power to the local site, the model in use in South Africa has failed to take account of diversity at the local level.” It is worth noting though that despite the failure cited by van Wyk, decentralisation as a pragmatic governance strategy is not dismissed willy-nilly. This view is corroborated by van Wyk’s (2007:137) argument that “the shift to decentralised school governance and management requires SGB members to develop a wide range of skills and capacity to deal with the complex issues and tasks they are expected to fulfil”. Thus, as a response to this predicament, “teachers often mentioned the necessity of providing appropriate training for school governors, particularly the parent representatives” (Van Wyk, 2007:137). Arguably, “skills deficit among SGB members weaken the effective functioning of SGBs (Van Wyk, 2007:135). The situation under discussion is exacerbated by and large by the fact that “there is a lack of accountability and possible participation problems in the relationship between schools and their governing bodies” (Transparency, 31). In the context of this study it is noted that “although the South African schools Act envisioned a system where schools would be community owned and controlled […]”, it is regrettable that “communities still perceive schools as belonging to government and teachers” (Transparency,31). Thus, in light of the numerous challenges cited above as being contributory factors on the seeming ineffectiveness of decentralisation in the education sector, this study sought to establish how best decentralised governance in schools could be harnessed notwithstanding its attendant constraining factors.

Student No :9712664T MEd School of Education Faculty of Humanities / After the establishment of the first democratic government in South Africa, the Education Ministry committed itself to transforming the education system through developing new policies and legislation aimed at achieving equitable access to education and improving the quality of education. One of the school reform policies is the South African Schools Act (SASA), which is aimed at democratising and improving school education. It does so by devolving responsibilities and powers on schools, thereby promoting more democratic governance of schools by school governing bodies (SGBs), which are comprised of parents, educators, non-teaching staff and learners. The main thrust of this study was to investigate the factors that explain how different rural schools in Bolobedu district (Limpopo Province) interpret and implement the newly-granted SGB powers and responsibilities regarding school finances and budgeting. Four schools, two primary, one junior secondary and one senior secondary, were sampled. At some of them SGBs appeared to be doing well, while at others the SGBs appeared to be overwhelmed by the new task of managing school finances and budgeting. The research instruments used in carrying out this study were interview schedules, documentary data analysis and non-participant observation of SGB meetings. Interviews were conducted with educators, principals, parents and learners (members of SGBs and nonmembers). Triangulation of data is essential for the validity and reliability of a study. This study is regarded as valid and reliable, as there was strong correlation among the responses to most of the questions posed. The interviewees participated willingly in the study and showed complete understanding of the questions. The major deduction from this study is that not all SGBs in disadvantaged rural areas are unable to execute their duties and responsibilities regarding school finances and budgeting, despite being dominated by illiterate parents who have not had the administrative and financial experience to oversee school affairs. The findings indicated that some poorly resourced SGBs were able to execute their duties and responsibilities regarding school finances and budgeting, though there were some constraints. The following factors that assisted and undermined the capacity of schools to assume their financial powers effectively were identified: • School-Community relationship; • SGB capacity; • Internal social capital; and • Leadership strategies.

The intention with this research was to investigate the challenges facing School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in historically disadvantaged schools with regard to their roles and responsibilities. The investigation departed from the premise of prescriptions of the South African Schools Act and other relevant legislation. From the literature review, it became clear that school governance would not be an easy task for schools, based on the precedence set by the apartheid school governance system. Indeed, it was found that SGBs in previously disadvantaged schools experienced numerous challenges. Decentralisation, stakeholder participation in school governance, SGB membership, determination of school policies requiring specialised knowledge and expertise, and policy-making and implementation were found to encapsulate most of the challenges facing SGBs in their roles and responsibilities. This research, being qualitative and phenomenological, used interviews to focus on some definitive school governance roles and responsibilities. Findings largely confirmed earlier research findings and included challenges such as a poor understanding of the school governance role of promoting the best interests of the school by school governors, the execution of roles and responsibilities being inhibited by poor training and poor capacity building, parent governors lacking knowledge and school governance skills, school governance functions requiring specialised knowledge and skills, a lack of trust, and the influence of suspicion and poor teamwork among school governors. The main recommendation relates to the review of the Schools Act in terms of specialised functions and who should perform them, and increasing the terms of office of school governors to derive maximum benefit from continuity before new members are elected and another cycle of capacity-building is needed. It is further recommended that the roles and responsibilities of school governors be well explained to stakeholders, even before nominations and elections are conducted, so that potential governors know exactly what is expected, and that continuous capacity-building becomes a regular feature at school level, including a school cluster-based programme addressing local school governance challenges. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

The intention with this research was to investigate the challenges facing School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in historically disadvantaged schools with regard to their roles and responsibilities. The investigation departed from the premise of prescriptions of the South African Schools Act and other relevant legislation. From the literature review, it became clear that school governance would not be an easy task for schools, based on the precedence set by the apartheid school governance system. Indeed, it was found that SGBs in previously disadvantaged schools experienced numerous challenges. Decentralisation, stakeholder participation in school governance, SGB membership, determination of school policies requiring specialised knowledge and expertise, and policy-making and implementation were found to encapsulate most of the challenges facing SGBs in their roles and responsibilities. This research, being qualitative and phenomenological, used interviews to focus on some definitive school governance roles and responsibilities. Findings largely confirmed earlier research findings and included challenges such as a poor understanding of the school governance role of promoting the best interests of the school by school governors, the execution of roles and responsibilities being inhibited by poor training and poor capacity building, parent governors lacking knowledge and school governance skills, school governance functions requiring specialised knowledge and skills, a lack of trust, and the influence of suspicion and poor teamwork among school governors. The main recommendation relates to the review of the Schools Act in terms of specialised functions and who should perform them, and increasing the terms of office of school governors to derive maximum benefit from continuity before new members are elected and another cycle of capacity-building is needed. It is further recommended that the roles and responsibilities of school governors be well explained to stakeholders, even before nominations and elections are conducted, so that potential governors know exactly what is expected, and that continuous capacity-building becomes a regular feature at school level, including a school cluster-based programme addressing local school governance challenges. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / In Wallacedene, the researcher became aware that minimum parental participation in school activities had reached alarming standards. This is related to learner performance which is of concern to educators, principals and education department officials. Parents are expected to perform certain roles in the governance of schools for the improvement of the quality of education in public schools. Parents are not honouring their obligatory responsibility of participation as required in terms of the public schools governing legislation. The research focused on parental involvement in primary schools in Wallacedene examining both the nature and extent of parental involvement in school governance. This study followed the qualitative approach to determine if parents are involved in school activities and governance. Questionnaires, interviews and document analysis were utilized for data gathering. Participants were members of the School Governing Bodies (SGB) of the three primary schools in the Wallacedene area. From the data gathered, the findings of the study indicated that parents in the townships of the Wallacedene area are not involved in school activities and governance. Issues of skills deficiency, low literacy levels, language barriers and socio-economic conditions seem to limit parental involvement in school governance. This study proposes possible recommendations to assist the school-based personnel and parents in developing and maintaining stronger and greater participation in school governance.

The South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 prescribes how schools should manage their finances and involve their stakeholders in financial management decision-making. The relevant literature reveals that principals in many schools situated in township and rural areas play a dominant role in the financial management of their schools which is contrary to the prescriptions of the South African Schools Act. This study aimed to identify financial management decision-making processes utilized in fee-paying public primary schools, the factors that influence financial management decision-making and the role and influence of individual stakeholders in financial management decision-making. The study followed a qualitative research approach with a multiple case study research design. Five fee-paying public primary schools were purposively selected. Participants included governing body chairpersons, principals and financial managers of the schools. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The findings from the data suggest that financial management decision-making processes utilized in fee-paying public primary schools are: needs analysis, budget drafting and procurement processes. The study also reveals that members of school governing bodies (SGB) in fee-paying schools situated in affluence areas are educated professionals who, as required by the South African School Act, exert a strong influence in financial management decision-making in schools. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

La presente investigación abordará el análisis de la gobernanza y el desempeño de las FDN en Perú a partir de la percepción de los atletas de alto rendimiento que participaron en los Juegos Panamericanos de Lima 2019. El objetivo general es evaluar si existe correlación entre dichas variables a partir de la percepción de este grupo de interés. Para lograr los distintos objetivos planteados en este trabajo se definió un método mixto con un diseño secuencial en el se tuvo una primera etapa cualitativa y una segunda cuantitativa. En la etapa cualitativa se consultó a expertos en la gestión de una FDN a quienes se les presentaron los principales hallazgos de la literatura revisada para organizaciones internacionales. A partir de estos resultados, se pudieron identificar las dimensiones de las variables a analizar y proponer afirmaciones para cada una apartir de las cuales se elaboró un cuestionario con una escala de Likert. La encuesta se aplicó a 151 atletas que representaron al Perú en la competencia señalada. Los resultados de la etapa cualitativa evidencian que no hay consenso en la literatura internacional sobre la forma de evaluar la gobernanza y el desempeño en organizaciones deportivas y, de manera particular, en federaciones deportivas nacionales. Sin embargo, frente a la propuesta que se derivó de la revisión literaria, hubo consenso sobre las dimensiones propuestas. Los resultados de la etapa cuantitativa evidencian que hay una correlación positiva moderada entre la percepción de la gobernanza y la percepción del desempeño. Con respecto a las dimensiones de gobernanza, podemos afirmar que de las 13 afirmaciones sólo hubo 3 de ellas en las que menos del 40% estaba de acuerdo con dichas afirmaciones que fue una de las hipótesis propuesta. En el caso del desempeño, se puede afirmar que en las 3 afirmaciones de la dimensión desempeño administrativo menos del 40% de los atletas están de acuerdo con las mismas. La muestra de 151 atletas fue elegida por conveniencia y no constituye una muestra representativa de la población por lo que los resultados no pueden ser extrapolados a la misma. Además, en futuras investigaciones se puede complementar la percepción de los atletas con un indicador objetivo para cada una de las dimensiones identificadas. El aporte para un mejor entendimiento teórico sobre la gobernanza y el desempeño de una FDN será de utilidad para futuras investigaciones que se hagan sobre este tipo de organizaciones deportivas a nivel internacional. / Tesis