Governance collaboration in schools: the perceptions of principals, parents and educators in rural South Africa

The South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 clearly articulates the roles of School Governing Bodies (SGBs). The SGBs consist of the principal as an ex-officio member, teachers, parents and learners, in cases of secondary schools. This study revealed that collaboration among members of SGBs, regardless of their position in the school, is a critical provision of quality education to learners. The study explored the collaboration between the principals, parent and teacher governors in rural South Africa. The qualitative study used a focus group discussion with ten (10) school governors from two (2) schools in one rural province of South Africa. The participant sample included two (2) principals, four (4) parent governors and four (4) teacher governors. Findings revealed that principals, parent and teacher governors are faced with challenges concerning their working relationship or failure to collaborate. These include overlapping governance roles played by principals, low meeting attendance by parent governors, failure of principals to support parent governors, failure of principals to guide parent governors by implementing the South African Schools Act, and finally, the challenge of governors' isolation. The findings, however, have implications for school leadership and school governance practice. Given structural isolation, parents and teacher governors ought to work together. Notably, they face limited effectiveness due to overlapping roles and limited resources.