The SGB finance committee's experiential knowledge of financial management at no-fee schools in the Gert Sibande District, Mpumalanga Province

Abstract

The study investigated the experiences of no-fee school finance committee members' understanding and knowledge of financial management in the Gert Sibande District. The study aimed to determine SGB Finance Committee members' perceptions regarding managing school finances at no-fee schools in the Gert Sibande District. The South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 tables the roles and duties of governing bodies in managing school finances. However, the no-fee schools remain confronted with challenges of mismanagement of finances, fraud and corruption. This study adopted a qualitative approach, and data were collected through interviews and document analysis to probe participants' in-depth experiences, knowledge and understanding regarding school finance management activities in their schools. Five no-fee secondary schools under the Gert Sibande district were selected; thematic analysis allowed the researcher to understand the subject under investigation and the role of the finance committee in no-fee schools. Findings revealed that schools manage their finances differently across the regions. The study also showed that the no-fee school finance policies provided operational guidelines for the finance committee members. Findings also showed that finance committees at the no-fee schools are ineffective and dysfunctional due to poor attendance at the committee meetings. It is recommended that committee members should be compensated for attending meetings and doing their work. The study also suggests that capacity-building training for the no-fee School Finance Management Committee and SGB members should occur at least once a term.