Challenges of school board members in supporting quality education in Ohangwena rural schools in Namibia

Abstract

School governance became one of the main concerns in supporting quality education in Namibian schools. Soon after independence, the new Namibian government realised that it is important for all stakeholders in education to participate equally and actively in governing their local schools, and introduced a policy on decentralisation and democratic school governance. The Namibian Education Act (NEA) (Act 16 of 2001) makes provision that school boards can be established in all Namibian state schools. The logic behind the establishment of school boards in Namibian state schools was to address inequalities and discrimination regarding the provision of quality education that occurred before independence. Another aim was to decentralise decision-making processes, transferring authority and distributing resources from the national level to school level. The aim of the study was to investigate the perceptions of school board members and non-school board members regarding the challenges of school board members in supporting quality education in Ohangwena rural schools in Namibia. A qualitative research paradigm was used in this study. In-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from 18 participants from four selected schools so that an in-depth understanding could be obtained about the challenges faced by school board members. The major findings largely confirmed previous studies’ findings in the Namibian and South African contexts. Findings revealed that school board members experience numerous challenges, such as poor understanding of their (school board members’) powers and functions; poor training of school board members; a lack of knowledge and skills; and the need for remuneration for parent school board members as a token of motivation and appreciation. The recommendations were made based on empirical findings, and emphasise the importance of continuous training of school board members (before and after start their duties) and the extension of their serving terms. It is further recommended that the NEA, specifically the specialised functions of school board members, be reviewed and translated to the local languages. The research further recommended that parent school board members always be given a sitting allowance after meetings