Power to the parents – it matters who you vote onto an SGB

The Governing Body Foundation (GBF) is urging parents to take school governing bodies (SGBs) far more seriously and think hard about which candidates to back for membership of the entities.

“Often when you go to those elections, parents don’t even know the people; they just draw crosses, and they say, ‘I’ll let it be.’ Parents must be informed,” said GBF CEO Marna Jordaan.

She called on parents to take SGB elections as seriously as political elections. The number of SGB elections in the country was eclipsed only by the scale of national and local government ballots run by the Electoral Commission of South Africa, but unfortunately there was no “hype” about them. “That creates a problem because parents are not involved as they should be, because they don’t know.”

SGB members did not need formal qualifications, but parents should consider which skills their school needed. “You don’t have to have a degree, but at least you have to say, ‘We need someone who can guide the finances,’” Jordaan said.

Her exhortation comes as the basic education department seeks public comment on proposed national election rules ahead of the March 2027 SGB elections. The draft notice gazetted this month requires schools to share candidate profiles with parents, including names, photographs, brief backgrounds and statements on their vision for the school.

While the existing framework relies on a single nomination and voting meeting, the draft notice introduces three voting options nationally: a traditional meeting, full election-day voting, or secure electronic voting.

The notice flows from reforms under the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (Bela), which transfers authority to set SGB election rules from provincial education MECs to the national minister to create a unified framework.

The regulations address weaknesses identified in the department’s 2022 school monitoring survey, cited in its action plan to 2029, which found that of the 2,000 schools surveyed, only 62% of SGBs met the minimum measure for effective functioning.

If I want things to improve in my school, I must get myself nominated—  Marna Jordaan

To address this, principals needed to confirm that their SGB performed four specified governance functions and produced minutes for meetings during the first two quarters of the year.

The action plan argued that communities should use the elections to choose representatives who understand education processes and can advocate for improvements.

Jordaan said preparation was required before parents arrived to cast their ballots. “Schools should begin advocacy programmes, explaining what SGBs actually do and encouraging parents who can contribute meaningfully to make themselves available,” she said. “If I want things to improve in my school, I must get myself nominated.”

(supplied) SGBs exercise significant powers over school finances, policies, codes of conduct and recommendations for staff appointments. Weak governance can result in poor financial management, inappropriate appointments and conflict between principals and governing bodies.

Jordaan cautioned parents not to support candidates on the basis of friendships, connections or any consideration other than the ability to do the job effectively. “The department should do a lot more to build capacity among the leadership in schools,” she said.

Unisa associate professor Gezani Baloyi said stronger human resource capacity was needed to ensure the “right people are in the right positions”.

To safeguard against weak management, he argued, investment in skills and capacity-building was required, rather than removing people from their positions.

The Bela Act has also tightened SGB governance rules, requiring members to declare any direct or indirect personal or financial interest in recruitment or procurement matters and recuse themselves from the discussion and decision.

Under the amended South African Schools Act, governing bodies must also submit quarterly reports to provincial heads of department detailing school income and expenditure.

Provincial authorities have stronger powers to investigate school finances, while a head of department is empowered to dissolve an SGB that fails to perform its functions and arrange a new election.

Speaking earlier in his personal capacity, Equal Education chair Mbekezeli Benjamin said that despite their significant powers, SGBs had been neglected. Particularly in poorer communities, they lacked members with the financial, regulatory and governance skills required to fulfil their responsibilities.

“We don’t have people with skills, people who could assist in managing the finances, or people who are serious, who can understand the rules.”

He said SGBs were legally permitted to co-opt non-voting external experts to fill skills gaps, yet the practice remained underutilised.

Comments on the draft regulations can be sent to: [email protected]. The deadline is September 5.