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By Sisa Sityata-Soga

CLUSTER A’s District Coordination and Support unit will gather for 2 days at Tsolo Special School and Mvumelwano Location in Qumbu, respectively, between 25 – 26 November 2008 in their initiative to get the communities within the district to partake in their children’s schooling system.

Recent research conducted by the unit’s Acting Chief Director Dr. A Soyisile Nuku revealed that most schools, through their Principals and School Governing Body (SGBs), seemed set on sidelining community involvement in their children’s schooling, a practice, he said, was detrimental to the development and progression of the schooling system in these areas.

“The remedy for this is to mobilize communities for the learning of their children and give them space to meaningfully participate in its continuous improvement”, he cited.

In his findings Nuku strongly discards the discrimination of communities on the basis of their education status by some school principals.
Aiming at those practicing subliminal bigotry, he reminds them of the sacrifices that people made fighting for the current Education System and thus dissuades any actions that threaten to deprive the right of communities to participate in discussions that aim at the improvement of the Education system.

“In this regard it remains important to remember that the people shall govern and they will always want to be led by professional principals and responsible officials who guide them towards effective participation in the schooling system”, he said.

Below is an extract from his recently completed 14 months research for further insight:

Observably, there is a lack of community participation in the schooling system of public schools in Cluster A districts of the Province of the Eastern Cape. It is unfortunate that this happens at a time when community participation is high on the agenda of the ANC government to render all public schools functional and proper centres of community life. Currently there are a number of reforms in the Department of Education, which are mostly based on the fundamentals of People’s Education for People’s Power. Undoubtedly, the success of these reforms requires the involvement and participation of parents.

In some public schools, the election of the parental component of the SGBs is still negatively influenced by principals who push that either the inexperienced young people or illiterate parents be elected. This is rooted in an entrenched history of undemocratic and exclusionary practices of parents in school affairs (Ngandi, 2008:16). Some principals neither involve nor allow parents to participate in schools’ academic affairs to improve learner performance. 

Statement of the problem: 

The majority of principals neglect parental participation in the schooling system, despite the statutory obligation requiring the participation of all stakeholders. Ngandi (2008:4) confirms that some principals still continue to be authoritative figures to the exclusion of parents, despite the expected democratic governance that calls for equal participation of stakeholders. Parents complain for being rendered as spectators of the public schooling system which has collapsed. 

What then is the role of the community in the schooling system? This main question is followed by these sub-questions:

• Are communities involved in the vision crafting processes of their schools?
• How do communities view the control of teaching and learning in schools?

The importance of community participation in schooling affairs

Community participation in schooling affairs:

Increases ownership and pride for their institutions. As owners, communities jealously guard their schools against acts of vandalism and other negligent tendencies;

• Generates interest among parents to voluntarily assist learners in their performance;
• Develops trust between the school and the community;
• Renders schools real centres of community life where all agreed upon activities for development are carried out excellently; and 
• Motivates all parents to attend meetings in their local schools and take responsible decisions that best promote learners’ academic progression. 

Consequences of not involving communities in school affairs

Some principals still believe that involving parents and other members of the community in schooling system is an infringing on their professional terrain. Those principals have such belief usually resist all attempts to involve the community (Van Deventer, 2003:259). This indicates how difficult it is to some resistant principals to involve communities and let them to participate in the schooling activities such as planning and collaborative decision-making. 

Those communities who are not given space to participate in schooling affairs develop hatred against their school principals and teachers, which is simply called parochialism. Communities understand that schools belong to them. If this notion is not contextualized, it can lead to undue interference by local chiefs, local dignitaries and the entire community. Nuku (2007:236) further claims that currently parochialism manifests itself in the process of recruiting principals whereby the SGBs do not base their selection on professional and management competencies of candidates but on being local sons and daughters who must be appointed at all costs. In short, community participation in the schooling system needs clarity of roles and responsibilities to avoid such tendencies. 

Way forward

The call today is on all departmental officials, principals and teachers to:

• Mobilize all communities, create opportunity for them to participate in the academic affairs in pursuit of improving learner performance and jealously guard their schools against vandalism. 
• Advocate the basics of People’s Education to all community members which are reflected in the new policies of the Department of Education.
• Determine how community members should participate continuously in the affairs of their children’s education.
• Create a new culture which includes all stakeholders in education reforms for quality learner performance.
• Create local education committees consisting of ward councilors, EDOs and local progressive teacher union (local education committees) who must work hand in hand with other relevant stakeholders and the entire community to develop education as a whole in all schools.

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