Browsing by Author "Adam-Mbane, Ntombi"

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    An investigation into practices in selecting Parentrepresentatives to School Governing Bodies in two selected Secondary Schools serving Multiracial Cummunities in the Fort Beaufort District.
    (University of Fort Hare, 2011-01) Adam-Mbane, Ntombi
    The idea of involving parents in school governance is a worldwide phenomenon based on the decentralization of school governance philosophy (Sayed, 2002). This philosophy is part of a wider political drive to decentralize power and promote local community participation (Brown and Duku, 2008). This qualitative study was conducted in two multiracial schools in the Fort Beaufort district. It investigated the practices involved in selecting parent representatives to the school governing body (SGS) and representation mechanisms to gain access to and to represent the concerns and interests of other parents in this structure. Evidence gathered through observation and interviews revealed that the schools that participated in this study seem to share similar practices for selecting parent representatives to the SGS. This was evident in the factors they considered in their decisions to select parent representatives. Moreover the study also revealed that parent representatives to the SGS do plan and have mechanisms in place that they use in gaining access to the interests and concerns of the parents they represent. However, there is evidence that the concept 'representation' seems to be little understood by parents. Among other issues, this was evident in parents' non- attendance of meetings, reluctant participation in meetings and issues of exclusion that confront parents in the wider community regarding the representation of their interests in the SGS.