FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES FOR QUINTILE 1 AND 2 SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE FREE STATE PROVINCE

Abstract

The aim of the study is to establish a fundraising strategy to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools in poor communities. Fundraising can be an empowering tool that improves the physical and human resources of a school, or it can be a negative process that leads to disappointment and unhappiness. The democratic principles in the new education system have created a space for the redress of inequality in South African schools. This is evidenced in the establishment of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) as legitimate bodies to take the issue of “redress” forward. According to Section 36 of SASA, the state acknowledges its failure to provide sufficient funding to public schools and mandated the SGB to obtain additional resources in order to improve the quality of education. The money allocated by the state to schools is clearly not enough. Many principals and SGBs are placed under tremendous pressure to manage and raise funds for their schools, because they are unable to work out practical solutions to financial problems, on account of their lack of financial knowledge, skills and expertise. Fundraising in schools is done with the main aim of supplementing resources that has been supplied by the state to improve the quality of teaching and learning especially in Section 21, quintile 1 and 2 no-fee schools. The design followed in this study is qualitative in nature. The data collection instrument used was open-ended questionnaires to gather information from three groups of participants, namely school principals, SGB chairpersons and parent representatives on finance and fundraising committees. Participants were from Section 21, quintile 1 and 2 no-fee secondary schools in three of the five education districts of the Free State Province, namely Fezile Dabi, Lejweleputswa and Motheo. Findings indicate that schools face numerous obstacles regarding fundraising, such as lack of parental support because of unemployment, lack of proper planning of fundraising projects and a lack of skills and unwillingness to endeavour into new fundraising projects. In conclusion a fundraising strategy is proposed to assist schools with regard to fundraising.