Abstract
M.Ed.
The year 1994, will go down as a momentous one in the annals of South
African heritage. That is, it is the year in which the shackles of apartheid were torn
down. With this came several changes in our society.
Education which has had its fair share of the apartheid woes, has inevitably been
Undergoing drastic and sometimes radical changes too. For instance, the issue of
language in education which led to the infamous Soweto uprising of 1996 in which
innocent students were gunned down, has been addressed, albeit still
unsatisfactorily. A new school Curriculum - Curriculum 2005 - has also been
introduced. So, for the first time in the history of South Africa all its pupils are
expected to receive the same education.
A significant change in education is the promulgation of the South African School's
Act making it mandatory for all schools to have SGB's. This concept, although not
altogether new, is revolutionary because it dispenses of the old
school committees and also attempts to streamline school governance in South
African schools.
In this study an attempt is made to look at the concept of school governance, how it
has been implemented, and how it's modus operandi is being interpreted and
operated in a rural community. It is hoped that the findings here will help to further
steer the 'educational ship' in the right direction. The findings indicate that most
community members are in need of a programme of assistance in order to learn the
skills of school management.