The relationship between the School Principal and the School Governing Body

Abstract

In some schools in Gauteng the School Governing Bodies operate in such a way that some principals dominate them and impose rules upon teachers and pretend as if the directives are instructions from the SGBs whereas they are not. According to Heystek (in De Groof, Heystek, Malherbe and Squelch, 1997:152), in many cases, the true focus of power and authority remains where it has always been. This simply means that sometimes conflict will arise between the school principal and the School Governing Body (SGB) because some school principals will try by all means to cling to power even if the South African Schools Act tries to decentralise the power of school governance. The thesis focuses on aspects of the relationship between the school principals and the School Governing Bodies (SGBs), their duties and responsibilities, and the effects of their relationship on the learners, teachers and parents. A proper demarcation of duties and responsibilities of the School Governing Bodies and those of school principals will help them to govern and manage the schools harmoniously and effectively. The irony is that principals must empower and train their SGBs who are supposed to be their partners but who sometimes become their competitors and the contradiction is how can one empower his/her competitor.