The role of the school governing bodies in Lesotho: A case study of four high schools

Abstract

The involvement and active participation o f stakeholders in school governance through a fair representation creates a sense o f accountability, ownership and belonging to a school. This study examined and assessed the roles and functions played by the School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in Lesotho Secondary and high schools. In doing this, the study investigates how the roles and functions are put into practice and find out the stakeholders perceptions about the SGBs. A case study of four high schools was carried out. To capture the stakeholders’ perception about the SGBs, the study used semi-structured interviews and unstructured observations. The opinions were sought from the following stakeholders; parents ,teachers, chiefs, proprietor’s, nominees, district education officers (DEOs) and District Resource Teachers(DRTs). In addition, this study was informed by local and international literature on school governance. The study reveals that even though tha Lesotho policy on school governance was established within a short time without adequate preparations, the structure is highly supported by the respondents. However the members o f SGBs need regular training for the duties they are expected to perform and to know the powers they have. The findings also indicate that, if there are strong bonds and partnerships between the members of SGBs, teachers, students and the community at large, there will be cooperation and commitment. The study recommends that learners should be included in the SGB because they are future leaders. If you do not take the children forward, the future will remain in the past.