Teacher involvement in decision-making in finance and curriculum matters.

Abstract

Since 1994, South Africa has experienced a focus on transformation. The National Department of Education has refocused the vision and direction of the South African education system through a series of policy initiatives. As a result of new legislation in South Africa, considerably more authority and responsibility for decision-making has been devolved to the school level than was the previously the case (Lumby, Middlewood&Kaabwe, 2003). This study investigates teacher involvement in decision-making in finance and curriculum matters in 16 selected rural schools in Maphumulo circuit. . The study sought to investigate the extent to which teachers’ actual and desired involvement in decision-making in Finance matters and Curriculum. Through the interpretive paradigm of the situation quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to provide rich and picture. The study utilized a questionnaire and focus group interviews to investigate the finance area in eight issues: budgeting, purchasing, record keeping, financial reporting, fundraising, monitoring, auditing and accounting. The second area was curriculum with seven issues: selection of books, year plans, work schedules and lesson plans, assessment (tests and projects) time tabling, language policy and instructional methods. Findings show that in both decision-making areas teachers tend to experience less decisional involvement than they desire. However, teachers do not necessarily desire to be involved in every aspect of the selected areas. I therefore conclude that school leaders need to invest in understanding what teachers desire to be involved in and what they do not.