Youth Group Fact sheet 4 - 2011

 SCHOOL GOVERNANCE AND  

 MANAGEMENT
  What is school management?  
SGBs are committees made up of school officials (the principal, teachers), learners and
parents. The SGB is the government of the school. Most of its members are elected.
The law says that every public school must have an elected governing body, which
meets at least once every school term.

School Governance VS School Management

 School governance  has to do with the creation of policies and rules for the
school and its members (staff, learners and parents). In other words, it is about making
decisions about how the school will be run. SGBs are responsible for school governance.
 School Management  has to do with the actual day-to-day running of the school,
such as managing the staff and planning the school curriculum. The principal, along with
the School Management Team (SMT), is responsible for school management.
Because governance and management are closely connected and affect the
education of learners, SGBs and SMTs need to work closely together.

  Why do we have School Governing Bodies? 

During apartheid, South African schools were run in a ‘top-down’ Inclusivity means allowing
different members of the
manner. This means that principals, government inspectors and community to participate in
other government officials were responsible for the administration of decision-making and running
schools.
schools. White parents also had more decision-making powers than
black parents. After 1994, the new government wanted to encourage Decentralisation means giving
the development of democracy, and of active citizenship. In other power to communities, instead
of having all the power to run
words, communities take more responsibility for what happens in the schools being held by the
running of their communities, including their children’s schooling. national government.
Because of this, the South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA) was
written with the principles of inclusivity and decentralisation.

Government has structured school governance with community

participation and decision-making in mind. Whilst the provincial and
district departments provide resources and support, the responsibility
of actually deciding how to run schools falls on SGBs.

The South African Schools Act (SASA) sets out how SGBs are elected,
who can serve on SGBs and what the powers and functions of SGBs are.
Youth Group Fact sheet 4 - 2011

Illustration by
Gerd Arntz

Elected members Co-opted members The Principal

• Parents or guardians of learners
at the school. Parents should
form the majority of the SGB.
• Teachers (educators) at the
school
• Members of staff who are
not teachers, for example
administrative staff or caretakers
• Learners in Grade 8 or higher
who are elected members of
the Representative Council of
Learners. Do you know who
the learners are that represent
you on your school’s governing
body?
These are community The principal is not
members with any kind of elected to the SGB
special knowledge or skills but is automatically a
that will benefit a school, for member.
example an accountant, lawyer
or someone with experience
in the education sector. They
take part in the activities of
the SGB but cannot vote when
decisions are made.

THE School Governing body (SGB)

Members of SGBs must elect a chairperson, a treasurer and a Treasurer: The person is
in charge of managing the
secretary. These SGB members are called office bearers. Only a school’s finances.
parent member of the SGB, who is not employed at the school, may
serve as the chairperson.

Learners and School Governance

Learners must be informed about the issues affecting their education. They must also
play a part in the decision-making process at schools. Representative Councils of
Learners (RCLs) are independent bodies that represent the interests of learners at their
schools. Learners in Grade 8 and higher are elected by their fellow learners to serve on
the RCL. The principal, SGB or teachers cannot decide which learners should serve on the
RCL. Through RCLs, learners can do things like make suggestions about the curriculum of
the school, and about the school’s code of conduct.
 Youth Group Fact sheet 4 - 2011

  What are the duties of the SGBs?   

Section 20 of the South African Schools Act (SASA) says that every SGB must promote the
best interest of the school by providing quality education for all learners. All SGBs must also:

• Adopt a constitution stating how the SGB will operate (for example, how often it will meet)
• Adopt a mission statement that sets out the goals and shared values of the school
• Adopt a code of conduct for learners at the school which sets out disciplinary procedures
• Help the principal, teachers and other staff members to perform their professional
functions
• Decide on school policy, for instance the school’s admissions policy, and language and
religion policy
• Manage the property of the school, buildings and grounds
• Decide on the times of the school day
• Encourage parents, learners, teachers and other staff members at the school, to offer
voluntary services to the school
• Give recommendations to the provincial Head of Department about the hiring of teachers
at the school. This applies only to teachers posts that are paid for by Government. If a SGB
decides to hire extra teachers whose salaries are not paid by the Government, the SGB is
responsible for selecting the teacher(s) and for paying these teachers’ salaries

An SGB is not allowed to make policies that

are not in line with the Constitution or other
laws passed by the National or Provincial
Governments. For example, when adopting
a code of conduct, an SGB cannot decide
that the school will carry out corporal Corporal Punishment:
Physical punishment, for
punishment. example when a teacher
punishes a learner by beating
him or her.
For example, when adopting a code of conduct, an SGB cannot
decide that the school will carry out corporal punishment.
Section 10(1) of the South African Schools Act says: “No person
may administer [carry out] corporal punishment at a school to
a learner.” The Abolition of Corporal Punishment Act (1998)
also says that beating a child as a form of punishment is illegal
because it goes against a child’s Constitutional right to dignity.
Can you think of another example of a school policy that, if it was
adopted, would not be in line with the Constitution and for that
reason unlawful?

In addition to the duties all SGBs are expected to carry out, Section Capacity: The ability to
perform a task.
21 of the South African Schools Act says that SGBs may apply to
the provincial Head of Department (HOD) to be given additional/
extra functions. If the HOD is certain that an SGB has the necessary
capacity, the school is given what is called Section 21 status.
Youth Group Fact sheet 4 - 2011

  Section 21 schools’ SGBs can also:   

• Maintain and improve the school’s property, buildings and grounds. For example, an SGB
can decide to build extra classrooms.
• Buy textbooks, educational materials and equipment for the school
• Pay for services provided to the school, for example water, electricity and rubbish removal.

The difference between Section 21 and non-Section 21 schools

You would have noticed that Section 20 of the SASA has to do with duties of the SGB that
do not require the use of any funds, such as deciding on school times and adopting a code
of conduct. Section 21 of the SASA has to do with duties that require funds, such as buying
equipment for the school. If the provincial government decides that a school is functioning
well without the government’s help, that school’s SGB is given Section 21 status and can
manage its own funds. If a school is not functioning well, it is a non-Section 21 school and
the provincial government manages its funds

  What are some of the challenges SGBs face:  

Today, most public schools in South Africa have SGBs. However, not all SGBs function equally
well. Some face more challenges than others.

In the earlier fact sheets, we learnt how the legacy of the apartheid education policy still
affects today’s education system, which remains extremely unequal and divided along race
and class lines. While SGBs give parents and learners an opportunity to play an active part
in the way their schools are run, SGBs in especially working-class communities face many
challenges that have their roots in apartheid policies. For example:

• It is easier for white and wealthy parents to support their schools in terms of fundraising.
• Many parents on SGBs struggle to afford the extra travel costs, for instance paying for
transport to SGB meetings.
• Many black parents received a poor quality education under apartheid’s Bantu Education
and struggle with illiteracy. These parents often struggle with a lack of confidence and
skills needed to make sure their children’s schools are managed effectively and hold
school management accountable.
• Parents in working-class communities must deal with a great deal of social and economic
problems in addition to the many challenges and backlogs in their children’s schools.

Fact sheet challenge

1. What is the difference between school management and school governance?
2. Why can an SGB not adopt a policy that is in conflict with the Constitution?
3. What are some of the duties of SGBs?
4. Can you explain the difference between Section 21 and non-Section 21 schools?
5. How would you describe good school governance?
6. What do you think learners can do to support good governance and management in
their schools?