Leadership problems and the school governing bodies of Limpopo Province : a case of the primary school of Ximhungwe Circuit.

Abstract

The focus of the research was mainly on leadership problems, with special reference to the rural primary schools of Ximhungwe Circuit in the Bushbuckridge area. Special attention has been given to the leadership background of SGB members and their involvement on governance matters. This is a qualitative research study that involved seventeen rural primary schools of the Ximhungwe Circuit, where the SGB’s of these schools were interviewed to elicit information and to get their view points. The respondents interviewed from each school included the principal, chairperson of the SGB, educator component and parent component. The research findings revealed that the majority of SGB members are not coping with their roles and responsibilities as enshrined in the South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996. The results also indicated that there is a general lack of understanding in relation to governance matters, hence the elite principals and educators are seen to be taking a lead in that regard.