School lessons from Covid-19: Fort Hare researchers highlight need for more technology training, reform in SGBs

A lack of technology skills, low education levels, and a skewed generational mix at governing bodies in the rural Eastern Cape hampered efficient school management during the Covid-19 lockdown, according to research by the University of Fort Hare.

Connectivity and technical skills were as important for school management as it was for education during the Covid-19 lockdown period, researchers from the University of Fort Hare argued in a paper published in Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa.

Researchers and authors Professor Ntombozuko Duku, Dr. Percival Mzuyanda Mavuso, and Dr. Moses Sipho Mkhomi set out to understand how School Governing Bodies (SGBs)  experienced their duties during the lockdown period at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In their paper, they wrote that the Covid-19 lockdown has highlighted the importance of a strategy to improve technical skills and connectivity at rural schools to strengthen the operations of school governing bodies.

The authors expressed their hope that their study will assist SGBs to develop new strategies to work and execute their duties effectively during the “new normal” brought about by the pandemic.

The authors conducted their research among members of school governing bodies to record their experience in managing schools during the Covid-19 lockdown. 

They raised a concern that SGBs in the rural Eastern Cape were still dominated by African males. For example, they mentioned that in their research sample, the chairpersons of the SGBs had relatively low education levels (Grades 8, 6, and 3) and were of an advanced age.

“They were elected to these portfolios through criteria such as their participation  as community builders, perceived commitment, passion for education, and leadership qualities.”

However, SGB members’ lack of technical know-how became a headache for school principals who could only use cell phones for voice calls. Many SGB members also still used phones that were not compatible with WhatsApp.

School principals and SGB members who could use messaging apps like WhatsApp reported that it was much easier to make fast decisions, especially during Levels 4 and 5 of the lockdown period when schools had to be closed. Lessons had to be moved to virtual platforms and parents had to do homeschooling.

However, researchers also said they were impressed by the resilience displayed by members of SGBs, who had to make do despite having access to appropriate information technology and connectivity.

“The findings explicitly indicated that using  ICT tools such as cell phones in governance was inevitable and desirable in modern times. The study, over and above, inferred that the cell phone as a communication medium for school governance is not exclusively confined to a particular context, even though there are limitations in each context, like network connectivity,” the researchers continued.

“For SGBs to be compliant and relevant in the COVID-19 context, this study suggests mandatory use of ICT  tools in school governance, not only to make schools 4IR relevant and compliant but also to empower and improve school governing bodies’ basic functionality,” the authors wrote.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, the protocols and regulations to mitigate against the spreading of the disease discouraged face-to-face interactions,  which were the main methods of debating and decision-making in these schools beforehand.

Teaching and learning, leadership and management, and governance were conducted virtually.

Data collected by the researchers further showed that frustrations experienced by the SGB members and school principals included difficulty in making voice calls due to unstable network coverage, data availability, and the advanced age and education levels of some SGB  members.  

“Nevertheless, they are learning to embrace mobile phones as the ‘tools of work’ for the future. Furthermore, SGBs were reportedly informed of decisions taken with reference to school governance, even though no formal meeting took place. The study recommended that ICT gadgets, including cell phones, laptop computers, and data availability be part of the SGB induction and training package offered by the Department of Basic Education (DBE),” the article continued.

Researchers added that a generational mix in the SGBs’ composition would benefit school governing bodies as young people may be more comfortable working with modern technologies.