A school with an effective school governing body (SGB) is far more likely to achieve success than one with limited involvement from parents and the community.
This was the message from Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga as her department launched the 2012 SGB elections – due in March.
Minister Motshekga said there were roughly eight million parents or guardians who were eligible to vote in these elections and that they should take their responsibility seriously.
“After the national elections, SGB elections is the most important voting process in this country. This means there are about eight million adults who can unleash their energies to get the education system to succeed. Not even the department could match this sort of energy. It is therefore important that parents get involved!” the Minister said.
School excellence
Newly-elected SGBs will continue to promote school excellence, ensuring that schools run smoothly and efficiently and that they serve the best interests of communities and the expectations of parents. Elections for school SGBs take place every three years.
Minister Motshekga said research showed that learner achievement was dependent on the level of support and active involvement of parents and members of the community.
Accountability
Deputy Minister of Basic Education Enver Surty said SGBs also had an important role to play in ensuring accountability at schools.
“There are some underperforming SGBs and there are a number of reasons for this. Often the issue of developing capacity of SGBs is ignored and we are looking into how we can improve this,” he added.
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