Issues to be addressed

The Education authorities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Africa should address the following, so that when new boards are chosen structures will be in place to adequately address, any deficiencies on the part of board members.

150 a. Method of electing a board:

The present methods must be revisited and it must be determined whether it is in the best interest of the schools. Urgent study must be given to staff representation, learner representation in high schools and parent representation.

b. Orientation Programme:

An orientation programme is an absolute necessity. No school board should be allowed to start the year’s work with an orientation programme. The nature and details of the orientation should be determined by the principals and the education Director of the Conference.

c. Training:

A complete programme of training in governorship must be prepared which includes all the facets of school governance. This should be done at the start of each academic year.

d. Continuous In-service Training

Continuous in-service training ties in with the aspect of training. This needs to be structured very carefully with the facilitators who will lead out. Convenient dates and times must be determined that will suit all board members. This could be done on a regional, district or area basis. Educational authorities, school boards and principals can decide what is best.

g. Package of information

All new school board members must be given a package of information when they start their tenure. What goes into the package can be determined by the school authorities and the Education department of the church. It could include: a manual, in the absence of a manual: a constitution, a job description, functions and

responsibilities, dates of meetings for the year, school statistics, names of board members and staff members etc.

151 i. Policies and Legal Liability

Policies are very important in any institution. Board members must be au fait with all the policies pertaining to the school as well as specific legislation in the country, the SASA in particular. If there are any new policies that must be formulated, then all stakeholders must be involved. The governors must also know what their legal liabilities are. These must be communicated to them at the start of their tenure.

j. Meeting between School Board and Staff

Since there is an unacknowledged tension between staff and board, more so on the part of the staff at certain schools; it would be a good idea for a meeting between school board and staff where they discuss how to work together to improve the school. By working together, I believe the tension will be relieved and staff and board will have an opportunity to get to know each other but in a working environment where they serve side by side.

k. Code of Conduct for board members

Since board members have highlighted things like: starting late with meetings, ending meetings late, late coming, absenteeism, and inactive members, it is

therefore appropriate to draw up a Code of Conduct for board members. There are such copies available and with permission, can be adapted to the needs of particular schools. This is a priority, since many boards fail to have a quorum when they meet.

l. What the School Board is responsible for in the school

Although roles, functions and responsibilities would have been have been included in the orientation, the package and the training, I believe an itemised list would serve as a reminder of what school board is responsible for in the school. This would serve as a reference list and a reminder, and therefore, at a glance they would know what governorship is all about.

Other issues include: careful monitoring of finance, more parent representation on the board, use of appropriate procedures to place items on the board agenda, giving each person a voice and no “rubber stamping,” keeping members informed so that those who represent specific groups of stake holders can report back to their groups, for example the PTA. Leadership training should feature high on the list. In fact, if the above is to take place, strong leadership is required to see that it is implemented. Strong committed leaders will make sure that the board

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stays on task and that it does not deteriorate into a social gathering. It is very easy to get side-tracked and stray way off the agenda. This can be very time consuming. A proactive board plans and makes things happen.

School administration is very complex because we live in a complex society, therefore, boards must be strong, resolute, and govern effectively. The fact that the board shapes policy means that the board must have all the information at its disposal. There must be transparency when it comes to transactions and executive decisions. Transparency will lead to a better working relationship between board and staff members. School staff tend to view the board with deep suspicion because very little of what goes on is communicated to the staff. This once again boils down to strong, committed leadership. Boyatt (2008:7) says that management means handling the affairs of the school but leadership means taking the school “places.”

The last point I would like to discuss, very briefly, is strategic planning. The strategic planning must involve short term and long term goals. Capacity building, empowering, giving the people a voice, automatically includes them in strategic planning. Parents will now exercise their democratic citizenship and participate in building for the future. There are several things that must be planned for in the short term that involve day-to-day management, but there must be long term strategic planning for the sustainability and viability of the school. SDA schools can survive, in spite of the fact that many have closed in the United States. It depends on the support of all stakeholders, strong leadership, a deeper understanding of an educational

enterprise and how it operates, and having dedicated, committed, men and women in leadership positions who can manage on a day-to-day basis and above all who can govern effectively, efficiently, and competently.

School leadership face a number of challenges, these include: globalization, advances in information technology, stakeholder expectations, new approaches to education, and a host of environmental concerns. The fact that we are part of this global village gives us a greater opportunity to benchmark and learn from other education systems. Furthermore, it places a greater responsibility on SDA boards to perform and make sure they survive external scrutiny.