6 March 2000
Director of ceremonies
Your Worship the Mayor
Honoured guests
Members of Parliament
Parents, teachers and students
Ladies and gentlemen
I must start by congratulating the Paarl School Governing Body Association, which I am told represents over 40 schools in Paarl, Wellington, Pniel and Franshoek, on the formation of such an association, which is an important milestone in the development of education. I believe further congratulations are in order in that yesterday - 5th March - the association celebrated its second anniversary, having been founded on this date in 1998. I trust you will have many more years of successful operation, and that your collective voice will be heard in all educational matters, preferably through a national association of progressive governing bodies.
I have read your Mission Statement, which is a profound statement of your commitment, and I noted especially your determination to make parents a more informed and more powerful instrument of school governance. We are at one on this matter, I can assure you.
I hope you have all heard about the Tirisano campaign which I launched in January this year. A major objective of Tirisano is aimed at making our schools work, and this has three aspects to it. A direct responsibility of the Department of Education is to ensure that schools are well-organised, have basic resources, and that learners and teachers are in school for 7 hours a day, for 196 days a year. A further task of the Department is to ensure that we have well trained and effective leadership in all schools - principals and senior staff that are responsible for the professional management of the institution.
The third aspect is however a key one for those of you gathered here this evening, and that is to ensure that all schools have governing bodies which work, in accordance with the South African Schools Act. These are governing bodies which draw on the structures created for parents, staff and learners to be democratically represented in the running of schools. Sadly, I have become aware that in many schools, especially in poorer rural areas like the Boland, the governing bodies which do exist are not effective, and are not assisting in making our schools work as they should. We must correct this as a matter of urgency.
The purpose of a school governing body is to promote the best interests of the school, and school governing bodies should therefore take "ownership" of their schools. I have said, in launching Tirisano, that I expect schools to become the centre of community life, and governing bodies are the only ones who can make this a reality. "Ownership" of a school is of course subject to national policies and laws regulating the powers of the school governing bodies, as stipulated in Sections 20 and 21 of the South African Schools Act. These sections spell out the general functions of the governing body, which must be performed by every SGB, as well as certain functions which may be allocated to governing bodies at the discretion of the provincial Head of Department, where the capacity exists to take on such functions.
In terms of Section 20 all school governing bodies are responsible for the following matters:
These are all very powerful responsibilities, which give governing bodies a real stake in the running of the school. They are by no means token or "paper" functions.
In addition to the above basic functions, the Act also provides that a governing body may apply to manage the school's financial allocation, including:
Before approving the allocation of any of the above functions, the Head of Department in the province has to ensure that the governing body has the capacity to perform these in a proper manner, that it is able to prepare an annual budget, and to keep financial records. I am pleased to hear that a large number of schools in this province have already been allocated these functions, and that many schools have become responsible for their own self-governance. This is a credit to you as school governing bodies, as well as to the provincial Department of Education, which has recognised your abilities. I have no doubt we will start to see the impact of this in the next short while.
Election plans for 2000
You should all be aware that the election of new governing bodies will take place as from May this year. A letter has been sent to all schools to prepare them for the coming elections, which will replace current members whose term of office expires after three years. The Department of Education will be overseeing the elections, to ensure they are consistent with the Act and any applicable provincial regulations. But the responsibility to hold these, and to conduct them, lies with the school.
In the Western Cape there is a training programme currently supported by my Department to ensure that elections go off smoothly. This support is based on a number of training manuals which have been prepared, including:
Parental and Community involvement in school governance
The fact that many school governing bodies in disadvantaged areas are not operating effectively should be the concern of all of us. We must all mobilise our communities to make our schools become centres of community life. We must ensure that parents, led by the governing body, exercise their responsibilities and become a link between the school and the community. We will put effort into this, especially in poor communities. The Norms and Standards for School Funding, which came into effect in January this year, provide for redress in the way that the Department allocates money to schools. From now on, 60% of funds for schools will go to the poorest 40% of schools, and the wealthiest schools will receive only a small fraction of what the poorest school will receive. This is a major step towards the redistribution of wealth in education, and places a large responsibility on you governing bodies to make sure the resources are well spent.
In addition, we will provide training to ensure that all governing bodies become viable and are able to perform their roles and responsibilities fully. But this support can only be laid upon a foundation of community participation and commitment.
The relationship between the school governing body and the management of the school
An effective, efficient and functioning school, is one that demonstrates total parental involvement and participation in all school activities. This does not mean however that governing bodies should run the school. The professional management of the school, especially in relation to teaching and learning matters, is the responsibility of the officials appointed to do this job.
It is therefore important that both the school management team, headed by the principal, and the governing body, work closely together towards the common purpose of ensuring that there is teaching and learning in the school. Parents can and must be involved in many crucial areas, including:
The ability of a school governing body to perform these roles and meet their responsibilities will determine how functional a school is. Already we have seen the evidence of this: schools which have a supportive and active governing body are growing and their results are improving. Teachers feel they have the backing of the community in the work they do, that they are appreciated and protected, and the learners benefit as a result. Governing bodies which are ineffective, or in some cases a hindrance as a result of infighting among members, or because of personal agendas, have seen their schools deteriorate in a spiral of despair and demoralisation. This has nothing to do with a lack of money or resources: such developments have taken place in rich and poor schools around the country. Commitment and involvement are not bought - they are the product of a genuine concern for the youth of our country, and a striving for a better life for all.
Functioning schools are communities in their own right. For schools to make this happen, we need committed, responsible and accountable parents, who support the school governing body which they themselves have elected to govern their schools. For those of you who have not yet had the privilege of serving your school, community and nation, I urge you to stand for election as a member. Skills are important, but skills without commitment are useless. And commitment can overcome a temporary lack of skills, since the required skills will be developed through participation. If you have already been serving as a member of a governing body, I appeal to you to make yourselves available for a further term of office. The continuity and experience will be vital in ensuring that we build upon what has already been achieved.
As Minister of Education, I take political responsibility for the running of the 30 000 schools in this country. But I cannot ensure that they all open on time, that they are run well, that teachers are present and that pupils receive the tuition they are entitled to. You are the state; you are the schools; the children are yours. Protect, nurture and develop them by taking up a place in a governing body. For many years, we fought for the democratisation of our schools, and we resisted the school committees that were imposed upon us. The government has recognised your special role in education, and created the space for you to participate. So I say to you - parents, secondary learners and teachers -occupy that space, use that space, for the transformation of our society.
Co-operation between school governing bodies
It is both sad and ironic that those who had most to lose through democracy, are the ones who have exploited the new dispensation most effectively. Conservative school governing bodies are well-organised, at school level and through a national organisation. Progressive school governing bodies are struggling to establish themselves, and a national association of school governing bodies. I therefore appeal to you to link up with other school governing bodies, with any local and provincial organisations, and with a national association who can represent your views and interests. My Department has established a "Communication Forum" to discuss matters with school governing body collectives, and your participation in this would certainly be welcomed.
I want to thank you for the opportunity to address this meeting, and express appreciation for the work you have done to date. I wish all of you well for the forthcoming school governance elections, and look forward to seeing the fruits of your labours as your schools continue to improve in quality, and in the way that they are run. The products of schooling are important, but we learn as much from the means by which we achieve these products as from the end itself. Let us set a democratic example to our children: an example of participation, mature debate, and democratic decision making. This will give us confidence in the ability of our children to rule wisely when they become our leaders in the not-too-distant future.