Exploring Rural School Parents’ Knowledge of School Governance

Abstract The aim of this paper is to explore the rural school parents’ knowledge of school governance laws in South Africa. An argument is presented that the understanding of the legal frameworks pertaining to school governance begins with the parents’ knowledge of education laws that affect school governance. This paper reports on a study in which quantitative methodology was used to obtain information from rural school parents about their knowledge of school governance laws in South Africa. The study is concluded by the submission that it is essential for rural school parents to be given necessary training so that they can have a working knowledge of school governance laws to understand the legal processes and principles and determine the legality of their decisions in schools.