Management and governance decentralisation in public schools : principals’ perspectives on recentralised decentralisation

Abstract

The principal is the role player in the management structure of a school that will be the most affected by government’s recentralisation tendencies. I explore the impact these recentralisation actions have on the principals by asking: “What are public school principals’ perspectives of recentralised decentralisation regarding their management and governance functions?” To understand exactly how South Africa arrived at this present juncture where recentralisation is taking place, I explored the governance functions of school governing bodies and the professional management functions of the principal during the periods before and after 1994. In this regard the thesis makes an argument that the vision of the Schools Act to establish a decentralised educations system where power is allocated to the local school community (the principal and the SGB) is being restricted by the DBE. The thesis explores the constant interferences (through ultra vires actions) in school admission policies, language policies, suspension and expulsion of learners, the governance and professional management of public schools, the functions and responsibilities of the principal and the functions of governing bodies that have been curtailed/recentralised through amendments of the law during the recent years. The thesis also discusses the Education Laws Amendment Bill of 2017 that was published in Government Gazette No 41178 that further proposes impairments of the powers of schools. This phenomenon of recentralisation is both an international and a South African phenomenon. Du Plessis’ (2019) indicates “that education decentralisation will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of regional local sites if such sites are held accountable for the results. On the other hand, recentralisation of power by government will make it difficult for principals to execute leadership functions and responsibilities”.

Consequently, the principals must always ask how much discretionary decision-making authority he/she has at his/her school. The data revealed that principals had negative experiences regarding incidents of recentralisation in the form of interference in their decision-making by SGBs, departmental officials and politicians. Most of these recentralisation measures are motivated by political agendas and ideologies.

Key concepts: Recentralisation; centralisation; decentralisation; professional management; governance