School Governing Bodies' Functionality (including Monitoring, Training and Regulations/Policy Implementation); with Ministry

Video In a virtual meeting, the Portfolio Committee engaged the Department of Basic Education (DBE), along with three major school governing body associations -- the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (FEDSAS), the Governing Body Foundation (GBF), and the National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) -- on the state of school governing body (SGB) functionality in South Africa. The meeting was prompted by mounting concerns, reinforced by recent oversight visits, that pointed to widespread governance challenges in public schools, particularly in underperforming institutions where dysfunctional or under-capacitated SGBs appeared to be a common thread. The Committee’s central aim was to obtain a clear national picture of how well SGBs were functioning, and how effectively the Department was supporting them. Tension arose between the Committee and the presenters from the DBE and the SGB organisations due to a miscommunication or misunderstanding regarding the meeting’s objectives and expectations. The Chairperson voiced dissatisfaction with the DBE’s presentation, stating that instead of providing concrete data on the number of functional versus dysfunctional SGBs, training statistics, or measurable indicators of effectiveness, the presentation had focused primarily on broad and abstract responsibilities. The Committee had anticipated a fact-based report that would support meaningful oversight. She emphasised the necessity for a detailed, written, and data-driven submission to better inform Parliament about the scope of the challenges facing more than 22 000 public schools nationwide. The DBE’s presentation focused on the overall challenges facing SGBs, highlighting training shortfalls, widespread role confusion, and governance weaknesses in public schools. Many SGB members, particularly in rural areas, lacked proper training, leading to misconceptions about their authority and contributing to poor school governance. While the Department referred to tools and legal reforms like the BELA  Act  to support oversight and accountability, it admitted that implementation remained inconsistent. The stakeholder presentations deepened the Committee’s concerns about widespread dysfunction in SGBs and the systemic issues undermining school governance in South Africa. The associations highlighted how most SGB members remained underprepared for their complex responsibilities, with poor training, role confusion, and governance-management clashes being common. There was strong criticism of the Department and provincial education departments for failing to deliver context-sensitive, effective training, and for sidelining established associations, such as FEDSAS, that could help build capacity. Political interference, lack of planning, and delayed funding were also seen as compounding the problems, affecting even better-performing schools. FEDSAS emphasised provincial-level failures, warning that national policies were not translating into action on the ground. It stressed the need for training based on governance best practices rather than compliance checklists. It raised serious concerns about the conflict of interest created when principals were tasked with training SGB members. Similarly, the NASGB focused on the deepening crisis in rural and under-resourced schools, arguing that the problem was no longer a lack of awareness, but a failure to implement known solutions. They called for the Minister to demand greater accountability from provincial officials and to shift reporting towards measurable outcomes. Throughout the meeting, Committee Members raised sharp questions about SGBs’ systemic dysfunction, poor provincial oversight, ineffective training, exclusion, corruption and weak accountability, while also probing the DBE on its regulation of governance structures in independent schools. There were strong concerns about the exclusion of historically disadvantaged schools from existing SGB associations, as well as frustration over a lack of responsiveness to parliamentary questions. Tensions also rose around the BELA Act, particularly over unclear statements by the Minister regarding Grade R admissions and the Department’s issuing of implementation “guidelines” that had not been brought to Parliament for scrutiny. Several Members drew on personal oversight experiences to highlight a disconnect between national policy and provincial or school-level reality. There was consensus that SGB training was often inadequate, misaligned with real-world challenges, and delivered in ways that excluded or marginalised parents -- particularly in rural or non-English-speaking communities. Members stressed the need for context-specific, practical, and inclusive training that empowers SGBs to exercise their roles meaningfully. Provincial failure to intervene in dysfunctional schools, the lack of consistent monitoring, and incomplete or politicised SGB election processes were recurring issues. Members were deeply concerned about power imbalances between SGBs and school management, especially when principals dominated decision-making or undermined parent representatives. Financial mismanagement and corruption, both within SGBs and in the provincial handling of appointments, contracts, and funding, were strongly criticised. There were calls for stronger enforcement, independent audits, and legal accountability, particularly for procurement and the misuse of school funds. Concerns about the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill were also raised, especially around clauses enabling provincial Heads of Department to dissolve SGBs, which some Members feared could be abused for political ends. The lack of clarity, consultation and oversight on BELA’s implementation was criticised. In closing, the Committee reiterated its demand for a comprehensive, evidence-based report that would offer real insight into the state of SGB functionality across the country. Without such data, Members warned that Parliament could not fulfil its oversight mandate, especially in ensuring support for the most vulnerable schools.