Constraints to Effective Governance by the Parent Component of the SGBs in Rural South Africa

The South African Schools Act, No.84 of 1996, pronounces the establishment of School Governing Bodies, which permits stakeholders such as parents, educators and learners to play an active role in taking decisions concerning the running of the school. School governance in rural South Africa has found itself confronted with a myriad of problems, which have rendered it both ineffective and, in some instances, unsuccessful. This paper explores and analyses the constraints facing the parent component of the School Governing Bodies in rural South Africa. A qualitative research method, using the convenience sampling strategy and interviews, was adopted by engaging chairpersons of the School Governing Bodies in certain selected high schools of the Sisonke district in KwaZulu-Natal. The results of the empirical investigation revealed that the School Governing Bodies in rural South Africa are confronted with challenges pertaining mainly to the literacy level of the parent component, the parents' lack of understanding of their roles and responsibilities and the lack of financial muscle, for parents' easy movement between the school and home