Assessment of Needs and Capacity of District Office Professional Staff

Table 18: Comments from Community Involvement
AN ANALYSIS OF ISSUES AND GAPS IN SCHOOL OPERATIONS
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
ISSUES AND PERCEPTIONS FROM THE
CATEGORIES ISSUES & PERCEPTIONS FROM THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT OFFICE
FACILITIES
PROJECTS
FUND
RAISING
SAFETY AND
SECURITY
SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
• Community Organizations to use school facilities • Skills to transform schools into community
• Upgrading of school facilities
social spheres
• Community Organizations are not allowed to use
school facilities (vandalism & theft)
• Community reluctant & ignorant in maintaining
and upgrading of facilities (need incentives)
• Control on school property, material used by
community for their own use
• Fear of loss damage to property, facilities &
equipment
• Halls & grounds could be shared provided
security measures are taken
• Community Feeding Scheme needed
• Capacity building programmes needed
• Need awareness programmes on importance of
education
• Community members must be involved in Arts &
Culture and extra - mural activities
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• Integration of services by other sister
departments
• Promotion of cultural & traditional values
• Render services (legal, health, health,
repairs, security)
• Involvement of the community in school
projects like renovations, nutrition etc.
• Organizations like churches must organize
moral & ethical workshops to promote
morality and fight issues like drugs,
alcohol, AIDs, gangsterism, teenage
pregnancy, etc.
• Lack of co-operation in fundraising • Non co-operation of parents especially in
rural areas
• Engaging community members in providing
security for learners and school property
• Safety at schools needs more input from
National and Provincial Departments
• Open days must be held
• Communities must be engaged in school activities
• Poor attendance at meetings by parents
• Lack of interest in school issues
• Parents assisting voluntarily at school is important
• Community members can be used as volunteers (NB:
this is risky - theft).
• Very helpful in classrooms with careful management
• Community structures - churches, farmers co-op,
youth groups to be used/organized to communicate
school activities
• Misconceptions around open days - thinking as
shifting of blame / responsibility
• Parents not owning the schools, i.e. by not
attending school meetings & not protecting
the school
• Measures/ strategies to be put in place
involving communities in campaigns
against substance trafficking using
learners
• Municipality involvement (councillor
involvement)
• Transform ABET programmes to respond to
education development (e.g. curriculum)
• Phasing-in of life orientation will improve the
relationship between the school and community
structures
• Subject advisors do not have contact with
communities
• Information at community (public) functions -
how the education system functions