The role of School Governing Bodies in school governance in quintile 1 to 3 schools within the Mankweng Circuit

Abstract

This study examined the role of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in school governance in Quintile 1 to 3 schools within the Mankweng Circuit, Limpopo Province. School Governing Bodies are central to promoting democratic governance, accountability, and stakeholder participation in South African public schools. However, schools in resource-constrained communities often experience governance challenges that may affect the effectiveness of SGBs. The research was motivated by the need to understand how SGBs contribute to governance within these contexts and to explore the practices, challenges, and strategies that influence their effectiveness. Guided by an interpretivist paradigm, the research adopted a qualitative approach and a case study design. Purposive sampling was used to select nine participants comprising three principals, three SGB chairpersons, and three SGB treasurers from three selected Quintile 1 to 3 schools within the Mankweng Circuit, Limpopo Province. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicated that SGBs contribute significantly to governance through stakeholder participation, shared decision-making, financial accountability, resource mobilisation, community engagement, and compliance with legislative and policy requirements. Participants generally expressed positive perceptions regarding the effectiveness of their SGBs and reported reasonable levels of compliance with governance procedures despite operating in resource-constrained environments. The findings also highlighted the importance of continuous capacity building, principal support, collaborative leadership, transparent financial management, and community partnerships in strengthening SGB effectiveness. Nevertheless, governance remained constrained by inadequate funding, limited resources, ageing infrastructure, and broader socio-economic challenges that limited the ability of schools and SGBs to fully realise their governance objectives. Stakeholder Theory and the Theory of Organisational Readiness to Change provided the theoretical lens for interpreting these findings by explaining how stakeholder collaboration, organisational capacity, leadership support, and institutional readiness contribute to effective governance. The results support existing literature on stakeholder participation, financial accountability, and capacity development while demonstrating that some Quintile 1 to 3 schools within the Mankweng Circuit have established effective governance practices characterised by accountability, collaboration, and compliance despite contextual challenges. These findings challenge the view that SGBs in disadvantaged schools are generally ineffective and instead demonstrate their potential to promote effective governance when supported through continuous training, institutional support, stakeholder collaboration, and improved resource mobilisation. The research contributes context-specific knowledge on the functioning of SGBs and offers practical recommendations for strengthening governance in Quintile 1 to 3 schools within the Mankweng Circuit.