Improved School Governance Encourages a Holistic Approach to School Development in Unity State

School governance bodies provide important support to the planning and development activities in schools. They can enhance the participation of the community in education activities, promote inclusive education and encourage attendance of under-represented groups, including girls, learners with disabilities and other out-of-school children. Effective school governance bodies hold schools accountable for their performance and therefore serve as an important mechanism to improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Having an active School Management Committee (for primary schools) or Board of Governors (secondary schools) is a prerequisite to receiving a capitation grant – funds made available to help supplement running costs and improve the learning environment. School Management Committees and Boards of Governors are variations of the traditional Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) that include a representative of the student body through the inclusion of the Head Girl and the Head Boy.

In Panyinjiar County, Unity State, 260 committee members in 20 schools were trained on school governance in 2023. These committees have played a significant role in the improvement of their schools, utilizing the knowledge and skills acquired during the training to help boost enrolment and retention of learners.

“My name is James Kuong and I am the Head Teacher at Nyal Unity Primary School. I’m grateful for being a leader of this school and an active member of the School Management Committee received the training on School Governance. Our School Management Committee comprises 13 members, including 5 women and the Head Girl. The school has a total population of 1,689 learners (719 girls and 980 boys)”, he explained.

“Before this training, we did not have an active School Management Committee (SMC) in place, and even my role and responsibilities as Head Teacher were not clear to me. Community participation in the school activities was also very low”, James continued.

GESS School Officers in Unity State witnessed poorly run school management bodies, which led to some of the following issues:

• Poor management of school funds and teaching and non-teaching staff
• Poor teaching practices and low teacher attendance
• Poor attendance and retention rates of learners in school
• A lack of ownership and inadequate community participation in school activities.
• Corporal punishment and discrimination of learners with disabilities

The entire community of Nyal Unity Primary School was called to democratically elect the 13 members of the School Management Committee James told us: “We received our roles and responsibilities followed by the formation of sub-committees, such as the sub-committee for gender inclusion. Sub-committees are tasked to follow up on specific areas of school improvement.”

“I’m the head teacher and the lead of the sub-committee on school leadership. My responsibilities have been very clear to me since the training. I am responsible for ensuring that the school has adequate and qualified teachers; monitoring the attendance and punctuality of teaching staff and the learners; planning for teacher development; and conducting lesson observations.”

One of the challenges the committee faced during the implementation of school governance training was the limited budget to motivate the participants to attend, such as refreshments and transport refunds. One of the adaptive strategies to overcome this challenge was to shift the training sessions from morning to afternoon when more committee members finished work and became available.

“We developed many skills during school governance training, including how to conduct an effective meeting and how to generate a school mission statement that explains how the school’s vision will be achieved. We also acquired skills on how to access and prioritize the school’s needs and how to raise funds, we have also learned how to establish partnerships for school development.”

The absence of regular capitation grants to primary schools from the Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI) has meant schools have had to seek other funds. “Community participation has helped a lot in our school. The sub-committee on school environment, in collaboration with the sub-committee on community participation, constructed a school fence to boost security. The maintenance of this fence is supported by parents and guardians, who provide necessary materials for upkeep.”

Fundraising has played an important role, in encouraging community members to take ownership. Indeed, many parents and guardians have now given in-kind contributions to school development. For example, one parent donated the materials to build a school fence.

The formation of sub-committees and clear guidelines on roles and responsibilities has allowed the school to progress in several different areas that needed attention and development. The power of school management bodies shouldn’t be underestimated: “School governing bodies are a very essential unit in the management and running of a school. These are the most pivotal bodies responsible for the day-to-day operations, and without them schools cannot operate well”, Andabati, Teaching and Learning Materials Coordinator, Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS).

The sense of ownership and pride in Nyal Unity Primary School has become a powerful driving force for sustained positive change: “As the head teacher of this school, in collaboration with committee members and the different sub-committees, we shall continue working hard to ensure the new and improved standards of the school are maintained.”

Categorised in: Human Interest Story, Quality Education