Examining parental involvement in governance at primary schools : case study of three township primary schools in the Western Cape

Abstract

In Wallacedene, the researcher became aware that minimum parental participation in school activities had reached alarming standards. This is related to learner performance which is of concern to educators, principals and education department officials. Parents are expected to perform certain roles in the governance of schools for the improvement of the quality of education in public schools. Parents are not honouring their obligatory responsibility of participation as required in terms of the public schools governing legislation. The research focused on parental involvement in primary schools in Wallacedene examining both the nature and extent of parental involvement in school governance. This study followed the qualitative approach to determine if parents are involved in school activities and governance. Questionnaires, interviews and document analysis were utilized for data gathering. Participants were members of the School Governing Bodies (SGB) of the three primary schools in the Wallacedene area. From the data gathered, the findings of the study indicated that parents in the townships of the Wallacedene area are not involved in school activities and governance. Issues of skills deficiency, low literacy levels, language barriers and socio-economic conditions seem to limit parental involvement in school governance. This study proposes possible recommendations to assist the school-based personnel and parents in developing and maintaining stronger and greater participation in school governance.