An assessment of the training provided to school governing bodies by the department of education in Fort Beaufort district: a case study of 3 schools

Abstract

This study assesses the training provided to the school governing bodies by the Department of Education in the Fort Beaufort District of the Eastern Cape Province. The study focuses on three schools and the Fort Beaufort District of Education. The researcher used a qualitative approach in the study. Interviews were conducted with the principals, educator governors, parent governors, learner governors as well as two facilitators from the Fort Beaufort District of Education. The findings suggest that the training provided to the school governing bodies in the Fort Beaufort District does not empower them (SGBs) adequately to perform their roles and responsibilities. There are a number of factors such as illiteracy, low level of education, language used during the training, lack of mentoring and monitoring and inappropriate training methods that contribute to the inadequacy of the training of school governing body members. It is therefore important to train school governing bodies properly so as to enable them to perform their roles and responsibilities as required by the South African School Act, Act 84 of 1996.