School Governing Bodies in South African Schools: Under Pressure to Enhance Democratization and Improve Quality

Abstract

Governing bodies in South Africa are expected to have an important role in ensuring high quality education in schools as well as in the democratization of the post-apartheid South Africa. However, current legislation precludes governing bodies from involvement in the professional management of schools. Governing bodies are democratically elected and thus they comply with representative democratic expectations. The governing bodies are less successful in the participative democratic model because of factors such the literacy of parents, the expectations of parents, the negative perceptions of principals and parents and the availability of parents to attend governing body meetings. The Education Laws Amendment Bill of 2007 may provide an opportunity for some governing bodies with capable and committed members to be more involved in the governing body activities. Governing bodies may not be successful in supporting schools to improve the quality of the education provided. However, there are indications that governing bodies may play a positive role in the school and the community to build democratic foundations that will lead towards sustainable high-quality education for all children.