Analysis of administrative governance education : the case of Mpumalanga Department of Education

This study is an analysis of administrative governance in South Africa post 1994, aiming at investigating the effects the change of administrative governance from decentralisation to recentralization had on service delivery and provision of education at provincial, regional and circuit levels of Mpumalanga Department of Education. This study adopted a qualitative research approach in gathering and analysing data. For data collection, interviews, documentary analysis, literature review were used. During the period 1994-1999, there were many administrative and governance problems that were experienced at district and circuit, levels of education provision. These problems included, lack of resources, poor communication, poor coordination and lack of support and this led to the abolition of districts, introduction of regions and restructuring of circuits. Research findings have revealed that there has been an improvement of service delivery and education provision since the introduction of regions. Regions have been given more administrative and governance powers by the Head Office than it was during the district era. Regions have devolved and delegated certain powers to circuits and this has improved the administration in many circuits. However, there are also challenges that have been brought by this arrangement such as lack of office space for regional personnel, racial discrimination, insubordination and lack of support by some of the members of Regional Management Team, poor communication, lack of physical resources at circuits and schools and work overload on the part of circuit managers. As a result of these challenges administration at circuit and regional levels still needs to be re-aligned in order to ensure efficiency and delivery of services in education within the province. This recommends that among others Mpumalanga Department of Education should improve the circuit’s structure by introducing extra personnel to offload circuit mangers with many responsibilities. Circuits without circuit offices should be supplied with their own buildings. Communication between the four-tiers of education administration should be revisited and more resources should be provided for circuits. Curriculum implementers should be based at the circuits in order to be abreast with the reality of education provision on the ground. However Schools were not targeted for by this study, therefore further investigation at school levels in terms of the effects of the shift from decentralisation to recentralisation have to be undertaken. CopyrightDissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2009.Education Management and Policy Studiesunrestricte

Auditing public schools' financial records: A study of financial management from the eyes of relevant stakeholders

The demand for proper financial management in schools is dictated by the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996, Section 43(1), according to which public schools must retain a suitably qualified accountant registered in terms of the Public Accountants and Auditors Act, 1991 (Act No.80 of 1991), to audit the school's financial records and statements. This study investigated the schools' financial management stakeholders' experiences of the auditing of public schools' financial records. A qualitative approach was applied in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from three purposefully selected secondary schools in which principals, chairpersons of the finance committees and finance officers were involved. A case study design was applied. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the collected data. All the participants demonstrated limited knowledge and understanding of the processes and procedures of auditing financial records, including an inability to interpret the audited financial reports. However, the participants revealed the benefits of audited financial reports, such as trust from parents in how school finances are managed. Furthermore, the audited financial reports enable schools to seek and apply for additional funding from businesses and other organisations, and to be allocated funds from the Department of Basic Education (DBE). This study recommends that the Department of Education should provide stakeholders in financial management with adequate support and training in auditing processes and procedures and interpretation of financial auditing reports

Shared perceptions and assessment of financial management conduct in rural schools of South Africa : the case of Mpumalanga province

This study is on shared perceptions and assessment of financial management conduct in rural schools of South Africa: the case of Mpumalanga Province. The objective of this investigation was to understand and reveal the financial management conduct of school governing bodies in rural schools of South Africa, particularly in Mpumalanga Province. This study adopted a qualitative research approach in gathering and analysing the data. For data collection, face-to-face semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, a literature review and document analysis were used. Many scholars who investigated school financial management argue about the manner in which school governing bodies manage school finances. In this study research conducted claimed that school governing bodies in rural schools cannot execute their Section 21 functions due to lack of proficiency and knowledge to exercise their new powers effectively, including management of finances, because of high rates of adult illiteracy where parents may not be able to play a meaningful role in school governance irrespective of the training they have received. This has contributed to the lack of improvement in the education of learners in schools. However, in this study research findings have pointed out that there is immense improvement of literacy level of school governing bodies in rural areas. This is due to the fact that most of the members who are involved in current membership of SGBs are current teachers, former teachers and people who are exposed to management of finances in their work places and are able to read and write. The findings of this study have significance for researchers countrywide, particularly those interested in the school financial management legislation and policy implementation, and the challenges and improvements in the institutional environments. Therefore, this study has the potential to motivate these researchers to undertake further research in this field of discipline. This study recommends that school governing bodies should be adequately trained and motivated, and that schools’ financial legislation should include a minimum literacy level as a membership requirement in order to improve the financial management conduct.Hierdie studie is op gedeelde persepsies en beoordeling van finansiële bestuur behartig in landelike skole van Suid-Afrika: die geval van Mpumalanga Provinsie. Die doelstelling van hierdie ondersoek was om te verstaan en onthul die finansiële bestuur gedragskode van die skool beheerliggame in landelike skole van Suid-Afrika, veral in die Mpumalanga Provinsie. Hierdie studie aangeneem 'n kwalitatiewe navorsing benadering in versamel en ontleding van die data. Vir dataversameling, aangesig tot semi gestruktureerde onderhoude, fokus-groep onderhoude, 'n literatuur oorsig en dokument analise gebruik is. Baie geleerdes wat ondersoek finansiële skoolbestuur argumenteer iewers sterf wyse waarop skool beheerliggame bestuur skool finansies. In hierdie studie onderneem geëis dat skool beheerliggame in landelike skole uitvoer kan hul Artikel 21 funksioneer as gevolg van gebrek aan vaardigheid en kennis om hul nuwe bevoegdhede doeltreffend uitoefen, insluitend bestuur van finansies, as gevolg van hoë koerse van volwasse ongeletterdheid waar ouers mag nie in staat wees om te speel 'n betekenisvolle rol in die skool beheer ongeag die opleiding hulle ontvang het. Dit het bygedra om die gebrek aan verbetering in die onderwys van leerders in skole. Egter, in hierdie studie navorsingsbevindings het uitgewys dat daar is geweldige verbetering van geletterdheid vlak van skool beheerliggame in landelike gebiede. Dit is as gevolg van die feit dat die meeste van die lede wat betrokke is by huidige lidmaatskap van SBLe is huidige onderwysers, voormalige onderwysers en mense wat blootgestel word aan bestuur van finansies in hul werksplekke en is in staat om te lees en skryf. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie het betekenis vir navorsers landwyd, veral diegene wat belangstel in die skool finansiële bestuur wetgewing en implementering van die beleid, en die uitdagings en verbeterings in die institusionele omgewings. Dus, hierdie studie het die potensiaal om te motiveer hierdie navorsers te onderneem verdere navorsing in hierdie veld van dissipline. Hierdie studie beveel aan dat skool beheerliggame moet behoorlik opgelei en gemotiveer en wat skole se finansiële wetgewing moet insluit 'n minimum geletterdheid vlak as 'n lidmaatskap vereiste ten einde die finansiële bestuur gedrag verbeter.Patlisiso e, e ka ga kabelano ya mmono le tlhatlhobo ya maitsholo a tsamaiso ya madi mo dikolong tsa metseselegae tsa Afrika Borwa mo Porofinsing ya Mpumalanga. Maikaelelo a patlisiso e, e ne e le go tlhaloganya le go senola maitsholo a makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo tsa metseselegae tsa Afrika Borwa, bogolo mo Porofinsing ya Mpumalanga. Patlisiso e, e dirisitse mokgwa wa kwalitetifi go kokoanya le go phetlha dintlha. Go dirisitwse le mokgwa wa go buisana le motho a le mongwe, puisano le lekoko la batho, tsekatsheko ya dikwalwa le phetlhololo ya dikwalo. Mo patlisisong e, dipatlisiso tse di dirilweng di senola gore makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo kwa dikolong tsa metseselegae ga ba na bokgoni jwa tsamaiso e e lolameng ya madi ka ntlha ya tlhokego ya boitseanape le kitso, mme se se tlhola tsamaiso e e sokameng ya madi. Le fa go ntse jalo, dipatlisiso di senotse tlhabologo mo seelong sa borutegi jwa makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo a mo malatsing gompieno. Tlhabologo e, e tlholwa ke gore maloko a mantsi a makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo ke barutabana ba ba sa ntseng ba diragatsa ‘tiro tsa bona tsa barutabana, barutabana ba ba tlogetseng tiro, fa maloko a mangwe e le a dirang ‘tiro tsa botsamaise jwa madi kwa ditheong tsa bona tse di farologaneng mme e bile ba itse go kwala le go buisa. Ditshenolo tsa patlisiso e, di botlhokwa go babatlisise naga ka bophara, bogolo babatlisise ba ba nang le kgatlhego mo dipatlisisong tsa tsamaiso le tiriso ya madi mo dikolong, dikgwetlho le tlhabololo ya tiriso ya madi mo ditheong tse di farologaneng tsa thuto. Ka patlisiso e, babatlisise ba ka kgatlhegela go dira dipatlisiso tse dingwe tsa mothale o mo letlhakoreng le la borutegi. Patlisiso e, e tshitshinya gore makgotla a tsamaiso ya dikolo a tshwanetse go katisiwa, ba rotloediwe le gore melao ya tsamaiso ya madi ya makgotla a dikolo e akaretse molawana wa tlhokego ya borutegi jo bo rileng fa go tlhophiwa maloko.Educational Management and LeadershipD. Ed. (Education Management

Financial management decision-making of school finance committees in public primary schools in Mpumalanga province, South Africa

Subject to the South African Schools Act, 84 of 1996 section 16(1), the governance of every public school is vested in its governing body and it may perform only such functions and obligations and exercise only such rights as prescribed by the Act. Section 30(1a) of this Act demands school governing bodies to establish committees and appoint members of the School Governing Body (SGB) to such committees based on expertise. With this study I investigated the financial management decision-making of school finance committees in public primary schools in the Mpumalanga province in South Africa. A qualitative approach was applied in the study. Focus-group interviews were used to collect data from the purposefully selected 2 public primary schools in which the finance committee members were involved. A case study design was applied. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the collected data. All the participants demonstrated awareness of their financial management decision-making roles. Participants revealed that they did not perform their roles effectively due to their illiteracy levels, limited understanding of financial management legislation, inadequate training, interference of the principals in the management of finances, poor consultation and communication. I recommend to the Department of Education to provide financial committees with adequate support and training, to capacitate principals in the area of human relations and resource management and consider appointing financial management advisors at the circuit offices within districts to assist in guiding, monitoring and evaluating the financial management processes in schools on a regular basis.http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.zahj2023Education Management and Policy Studie