Die bestuursrol van die skoolhoof met betrekking tot ouerliggame

Abstract

With regard to the education dispensation as proposed by the HSRC Education Report (1981} a degree of ignorance prevails among parents as well as practising teaching staff. The obvious person to make available this information appears to be the principal. The abovementioned report emphasises an important aspect related to provision of tuition on the formal level - viz. that parents are co-responsible, and therefore should have a say in the educational tuition of their children. Organized parent involvement in the educational tuition of their children in Transvaal is embodied in statutory parent bodies such as management councils and in non-statutory parent bodies such as the "Transvaalse Afrikaanse Ouervereniging (TAO)". These parent bodies can represent the parents who have elected them at a high level with regard to matters relating to educational tuition. The family as a primary community and the school as a secondary community should work in conjunction with each other and a spirit of partnership should exist between the family and the school for the benefit of the educational tuition of the child. Parent involvement and their dictates in school matters should take place in an organized and orderly fashion. It has become evident that the family and the school as partners have mutual expectations of each other. These expectations can only be realised if a bond of mutual trust exists between the partners and if concordant objectives relating to educational tuition are pursued. The composition of and the powers and duties of a Management Council and the TAO are discussed. From the literature study it has become clear that future clarification and specification, of these powers and duties are required. This will prevent any confusion concerning the dual competency areas of parent bodies and the school. Further it is pointed out that the principal is responsible for the management of the school in its totality. The principal's management embraces the planning, organization, guidance and exercise of control. The principal also exercises these managerial aspects within the activities of the parent bodies. Special emphasis is placed on guidance, which should emanate from the principal, so as to equip the parent bodies with the knowledge and the ability by means of which they will be able to exercise their task fittingly. It has also come to light that a manager's function is not only to plan, to organize, to give guidance, and to exercise control. The manager (i.e. principal) fulfils several other roles. According to Mintzberg's approach to the managerial role, it emerges that the principal also interprets different managerial roles in respect to the involvement of statutory and non-statutory parent bodies in educational tuition. An empirical investigation was made by means of a structured mailed questionnaire. This investigation confirms that the principal, as manager of the school, interprets certain roles and executes managerial tasks in respect of the activities of organized parent bodies. Certain conclusions were finally reached and recommendations relevant to specific facets of statutory and non-statutory parent bodies were made.