Resources mobilisation challenges in rural schools of South Africa: What can we learn?

Abstract

Government efforts to provide equal and quality education in rural schools has yielded minimal change in South Africa since the dawn of democracy in 1994.Growing inequalities and recent economic constraints exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic have further exposed and deepened resource scarcity among rural communities and schools. The South African Schools Act (1996) is clear that, through school stakeholders such as School Governing Bodies (SGB’s), schools are required to supplement resources provided by the State. However, there is a paucity of research that explores resource mobilisation challenges experienced by school stakeholders in rural schools of South Africa. The article is based on a qualitative research study, supported by the Asset-based theory and Resource mobilisation theory. To collect data, we used participatory approaches such as the Free Attitude Interviews (FAI) and SWOT analysis. Four main findings emerged from the data, which were used to make recommendations to address and improve the quality of education in rural communities.