Abstract
Educational leaders play a critical role in creating an enabling school environment, helping learners achieve their educational outcomes, and engaging parents in school governance through School Governing Bodies (SGBs). Guided by transformational leadership theory, this study aims to explore the role of transformational leaders in rural schools, working in conjunction with SGBs, to enhance the effectiveness of school governance. The study is guided by the interpretivist research paradigm, which aims to comprehend the lived experiences, observations, and practices of leaders working within the Sekgosese East circuit, Mopani East District. A qualitative research approach was adopted, and six rural secondary schools were purposively chosen to gather extensive information about the collaboration between school leaders and SGBs. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, which enable an in-depth investigation of participants' experiences and beliefs. The thematic analysis approach was employed to explore the interview responses. The findings aim to contribute to improving comprehension of how transformational leadership techniques might enhance governance processes in resource-limited rural school environments. Findings revealed that there is a need for rural principals to adopt transformational leadership practices, which will inspire, motivate, and empower the SGBs, enabling them to fulfil their roles and responsibilities effectively. The study recommended that principals continue to conduct training in their respective schools to equip SGB members with knowledge of policy and budget development. It further advises the DBE to strengthen SGB training programmes beyond the induction workshop. Ethical clearance was obtained from the University of Johannesburg, and approval to conduct the study was granted by the Mopani East District, Province of Limpopo, Department of Education, for research within the province.