Reforming School Governance: A Critical Analysis of the BELAB's Impact on SGB Roles

Background/purpose. The Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (BELAB) seeks to enhance the quality of education in South Africa and has significant implications for school governance. Over time, the influence of parents within School Governing Bodies (SGBs) has increased, allowing them to impact crucial areas such as school budgets, language policy, discipline, and the appointment and promotion of staff. This theoretical paper sets out to comprehensively and critically explore BELAB in the context of school governance.

Materials/methods. Grounded in a qualitative research approach, this theoretical paper comprehensively and critically explored the African Philosophy of Ubuntu as a theoretical framework. Data were collected through a detailed study of the BELAB and a literature review of relevant articles from the past decade, sourced from databases including Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, SABINET, court cases, newspapers, and physical libraries. The data were thematically analyzed by comparing BELAB's provisions with the established roles of SGBs prior to the Bill's introduction.

Results. Findings indicate that BELAB proposes significant changes to the SGBs' responsibilities regarding admissions, language policy, and the promotion and appointment of teaching and administrative staff. These changes may lead to increased polarisation of schools, inadequate resourcing, and additional governmental responsibilities. This paper also lays bare the scarcity of extant literature on the BELAB and elucidates the pivotal role of empirical research on the bill as it is now signed into law.

Conclusion. Conclusively, this paper proposes measures to support parents' rights and roles in school governance, ensuring they remain integral to the educational framework while adapting to legislative changes.

Keywords: Basic education laws amendment bill, school governing bodies, south African schools act, roles

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