POST GRADAUTE DIPLOMA IN EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT

Contents
QUESTION 1 ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Keywords:............................................................................................................................................ 3
The problems related to the availability of resources and their utilisation by the SMT .................... 6
Recommendations .............................................................................................................................. 8
The budgeting process will assist the principal and the SGB by: ...................................................... 10
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 11
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 12

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QUESTION 1
1.2) Examine the link between school financial and resource management by
principals and the successful curriculum implementation including teaching
and learning in their schools citing relevant examples.

1.3) Develop a proposal for a self-managing school to be tabled to the parents

at the annual general meeting of building a computer lab and furnishing it with
computers and furniture basing on a follow up meeting with the SGB to
introduce Computer studies as a new subject in the school. Please show all
the necessary behind the scene activities that build up to the final proposal to
be presented using some of the concepts and knowledge gained from this
module with a particular focus on budgeting.

In this essay the writer will explore the link between school financial resource
management by school leadership under the guidance of the principal for successful
and effective curriculum implementation on one hand, and on the other, the
budgeting process. Resource management and budgeting are two of the most
important functions which any school in South Africa should prudently undertake in
order to positively achieve teaching and learning goals.

Financial and resource management can be viewed as an interdependent and

interrelated process, which should follow a sequential trajectory informed by the laws
of demand and supply. (Du Plessis. 2014) suggests that adjustments to the
procurement plans and utilisation of resources are based on evaluation of feedback
from educators. The principal must study trends of the utilisation of resources by
monitoring and management of stock as per budgetary requirements. The activities
involved in the management of stock include but not limited to, staff allocation of
duties, timetabling and scheduling, ordering of supplies, the general maintenance of
the school grounds and infrastructure (Du Plessis, 2012).

A budget can be accurately defined as a detailed plan, which expresses the school’s
financial position in monetary terms and the activities that the school should
undertake in the stated period of time (Financial Management in Education, 2021).

In other words it is a scheduled plan which brings balance to the establishment by

being a reflective reference on the current expenditure. It needs constant evaluation
to determine whether the school has exceeded its limits and also defines when

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certain procurements for the teaching and learning process should be done.
Therefore calls for discipline of both the principal and the all stakeholders: teachers
and the SGB. They all must be united in their thoroughness and circumspection.

In the first part of the treatise the writer will now look at the links of how financial and
resource management will assist in positively influencing the implementation of the
Instructional programme in order to improve academic success of the learners.

Keywords: School financial and resource management, Educational Resources,

Principals, Curriculum Implementation, Teaching and learning, Self-managing
school, SMT, SGB, Budgeting.

It can be said that financial and resource management is the process for the
distribution and the use of the schools’ funds, raised either through the payment of
school fees or funding from the government or any other donor, for the purpose of
producing solid and positive learner achievement. This task can only be fruitful if the
principal has sound financial management skills.

The introduction of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), South
African schools must engage the drive to change the traditional school into centres
of a higher level of learning experiences. This change in the delivery of the
instructional programme has been coupled with the government’s efforts to change
schools into self managing enterprises by democratically increasing roles and
responsibilities of SMTs and SGBs to also include financial management. Meaning
that even heads of departments are also directly involved in the procurement,
purchase and maintenance of the learning resources sourced for their respective
departments. Furthermore the SGB which is mainly composed of parents of learners
are well informed on the curriculum needs in order to better the learning of their
children. Thus they become willing accomplices in the drive to turn the school into
well managed learning centres.

For the principal to fully manage both the resources and the learning process there
are demands that should be made of the school principal which he/she must meet.
Firstly since the parents and the community provide the bulk of the funds through the
payment of fees and levies, they must be included in the highest levels of decision
making in the school. If they are in the know of what is transpiring in the school and

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also contribute their ideas, the goals and vision of the school can easily be attained
as they will be appreciative of the efforts of the educators’ needs. This will also go a
long way in creating a healthy school climate conducive for learning without
impediments.

Funds collected by the school must be managed transparently and there should be
accountability for its usage. Schools can employ bursars with the adequate skills for
bookkeeping. This will relieve the principal of the duties of the actual collection of the
money. Thus he/she can be able to monitor from an external position also enabling
the principal to perform other functions in the school. All funds obtained from the
school must be receipted and all receipt books must be always be available for
scheduled and unscheduled internal or external audits. Furthermore the composition
of the SGB must include persons who are registered as an accountant and auditor in
terms of the Public Accountants and Auditors act, 1991 (Act No 80 of 1991).

Since most schools are under financed, most South African schools can not afford
security companies and strong rooms, it will be advisable that monies that have to be
paid to the school must be directly deposited into the school’s bank account. This will
go a long way in cutting down unnecessary risks of cash in transit.

Currently the government cannot meet all the financial needs of all the schools; it
calls for the principal to have a keen interest in fundraising and entrepreneurial
aggressiveness. These activities will increase the capital base of the school such
that the school can have the resources to fund activities like learner industrial tours.
These tours help in linking the theoretical aspects with the practical aspects of the
subjects taught in school, bringing more understanding to the learners. Once the
learners have more understanding of the concepts being taught in class, school
results will be greatly increased.

In light of the above, it does not mean that schools should become income
generating hubs but should try to source funds to procure learning aids like charts,
paper and appropriate equipment. There should be a proper balance between the
sourcing of learning equipment and the actual teaching and learning. The school
must not deviate from being the centre for learning to centres of industrial business.
These financial raising activities must not disturb the teaching and learning.

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Another important aspect in the management of school finances and resources is

financial reporting. Monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports must be delivered
to the SGB for approval and evaluation. Reporting helps in identifying problems and
shortages at an earlier stage and remedies fostered before any disruptions to the
teaching and learning programme.

For the proper management of finances and resources all responsible entities in the
management of the school must be all versed in the required statutes and
regulations laid down by the government. The following documents should be made
available at the school for reference and guidance for decision making and policy
implementation:

 Constitution of RSA, Act 108 of 1996

 SASA 84 of 1996, as amended
 PFMA 1 of 1999, as amended
 Norms and standards for school funding, 1998
 Provincial financial regulations.

In order to have a clear picture of the need so of the school departmental heads
through collaboration with members in their respective sections must before the end
of the year plan for their needs in the coming year. Thus Hods must supervise the
drafting of their departmental budgets. Their needs are placed in order of priority. In
drafting departmental budgets, asset and equipment audits must done to determine
which resources are still in stock and functional. Redundant and obsolete equipment
must be identified and sent to the disposal asst committee to obtain more funds from
their disposal. Some of the equipment can be dismantled and used as learning
materials in the classroom. Obsolete equipment can be dismantled and electronic
circuits, motors pimps, bearings, couplings amongst other components can be
transferred and used in the classroom to enhance the learners understanding.

Another way of bringing more resources into the resource coffers of the school is by
encouraging the formation and establishment of an alumni committee. Most former
students are now in influential positions in society and the corporate world. They can
systematically and strategically mobilise resources to be used by the school to
improve the teaching and learning. They can be also invited to special occasions in
the school to address the learners as role models and breed motivation.

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Financial resources in the school can be increased through marking strategies. The
principal can negotiate for partnerships with strategic institutions. School
infrastructure can be hired out to community organisations at a fee. Libraries,
swimming pools and sports field are also other sources for income generating
avenues. The monies raised from such hiring will assist in their maintenance.

Monies obtained from the above activities must be logged and banked according to
the school regulations. Some of this money will find its way into the petty cash box.
Petty cash is used in instances of emergencies and purchases of small amounts as
stipulated by school regulations. The petty cash box must be kept safely by the
accounting office in a safe or strong room. Withdrawals from the petty cash box must
be by request by the respective department and authorised in by a different office for
transparency purposes. Upon purchase receipts must be brought to the accounting
office for reconciliation and the component must be verified by the respective
department, guaranteeing that the correct component was purchased as determined
by the specifications. Any deviation from the order specifications must also be noted
and the reasons as to why.

The problems related to the availability of resources and their utilisation by the SMT
An analysis of the present literature reveals that the following situations impact
negatively on the management of resources and their use:

 Scarcity and shortage of funds: Monetary deficiencies may impede the overall
positive functioning and performance of the SMT and SGB. Lack of funds for
the purchase and acquiring of relevant learning materials will greatly affect the
academic performance of the school. Once the supply of educational
materials is insufficient and not the required quality the production greatly
suffers, (Dangara, 2016).
 Political climate: Politics of the day direct the policies and modus operandi
applied in the day to day running of government institutions. In cases where
there are unscrupulous political elements that divert resources intended for
schools, will result in inefficiencies within the school system. Political
interference may also take the form, whereby certain suppliers of learning
materials are favoured over others. Creating an atmosphere of kick backs,

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where uncouth suppliers are chosen over others and this may result i the
chosen suppliers supplying below par goods.

 Abuse and misuse of school facilities and equipment: educators and other
staff members can deliberately misuse school property, for personal gain. For
instance a teacher may use the school photocopiers and printers to print
material for personal use. Some staff members may request stationery from
the stores department for their children at home thus creating artificial
shortages.

 Weak administration: principals, SMT and the SGB can be also culprits,
through acts of mismanagement, deliberately; through acts of corruption,
ignorantly or due to lack of technical expertise.

 Wanting leadership: some principals do not have the capacity and stamina to
command absolute leadership responsiveness from the staff members they
purport to lead. This could be a resultant that there is no prior training for one
to be a principal. The inexperience works against the principal.

 Substandard and defective educational resources: flawed procurement and

maintenance procedures due to corruption leads to the attainment of
equipment which cannot stand the test of time.

 Inadequate infrastructure: insufficient learning and resource rooms disrupt the

teaching and learning programme. The state and condition of the
infrastructure determines the school climate. Dilapidated classrooms as a
result of under funding create conditions which are not conducive for teaching
and learning.

 Low staff morale: educators are the central cog in the teaching and learning
mechanism. Fundamentally they are the core of human resources. Problems
of exam malpractices, drug abuse by learners, persistent academic prowess
and student indiscipline can to some degree associated with teachers not
doing justice and due diligence in their discharge of their duties. (Ekundayo,

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2010) suggests that when teachers are not motivated their total efforts cannot
be fruitfully harnessed successfully.

Recommendations
 School leadership must devise prudent resource management tactics to
increase their ability to strategically use resources. In house training
opportunities should be afforded to all those in positions of leadership.
 Government funding should be increased to meet the new technological
demands.
 A positive school culture and climate should be developed. All participants
should have a sense of common being in achieving organisational visions and
goals. A sense of responsibility must be cultivated in the school. All staff
members must feel obligated to maintain the school premises.
 Government sponsored awareness through various forms of media, should
highlight the need for institutions to efficiently utilise and maintain school
resources.
 Principal visibility on the school premises and routine walk-arounds will enable
early detection of problems in the school.
 New infrastructure should replace old and dilapidated facilities. If the school
acquires new and modern equipment the principal should ensure that all using
that equipment have the knowhow. Creating individual passwords for staff
when using sensitive equipment will go along way in increasing life span.

In the second part of the essay the writer will now look at how self-managing
schools can introduce computer technology as a subject in their schools with the
involvement of the parents through a dialogue in the annual general meeting.

Self-serving schools as defined earlier can be said to schools with a greater

drive to self manage their affairs using the latitude granted in SASA 84 of 1996.
School budgets are reflective processes of the financial astuteness of the
institution. They show the financial standing of the school in monetary terms and
also clearly highlight the infrastructural currency of the school.

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Budgeting therefore is at the core of financial management.

In this technological and fourth industrial revolution era in which we find ourselves
cast in, calls for schools to produce learners with life long learning attributes.
Learners who will be able to adapt and gel into the world of work having attained
the necessary skills and tools from school. Hence it is imperative for schools
have to introduce and expose learners to computer literacy at the earliest
possible stage. Undoubtedly this comes with financial implications which most
schools find as a heavy burden to carry on the shoe string budgets they have at
their disposal.

The onus then falls upon the principal’s shoulders, together with the SMT and the
SGB. In unison they must formulate a sustainable plan in line with the aims and
vision of the school for academic achievement. This collaboration must look into
all possible avenues in which they can enrich the learning programme with
faucets of the 21st century.

The first port of call is to determine whether with the current staff establishment if
they have the necessary skills to teach the new computer programmes. Most
tertiary and university programmes where the current crops of teachers were
trained offer more than one course in ICT. Thus most of the teachers can offer
assistance to that regard. Specialised and technical support should be also
looked at. Though most teachers are computer literate most are not versed with
the technical nitty gritties like networking, software manipulation and
programming languages. Thus the principal should find ways in which to address
this issue. There might be former students who can volunteer their services or it
will mean creating a post for a computer technician thus it is an advantage that it
becomes a means for employment creation. Funds to pay for such services
should also be debated upon.

All requirements for introducing the subject will also have to be looked into. This
will include at looking at whether the school has enough secure buildings to
house these delicate resources. Most schools are prone to vandalism and theft of
equipment. If there are no buildings that qualify in this category, costing should
be done for the building of one. All these activities will fall under strategic

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planning. All minutes of meetings should be noted and circulated in following

meetings for purposes of updating information.

When all the needs have been classified and categorised the next step is to
explore different ways in which the money for this endeavour will be obtained.
Schools mainly relay on the funding provided by the government and secondly
from the school fees paid the parents. A budget must then be drawn up. There
are generally three types of budgets namely Zero-based, Incremental and
Activity-based budgeting systems. Schools can use hybrid forms of budgeting
depending on their requirements and needs. A time frame should be set for the
introduction of the subject depending on the availability of funds. Therefore
schools can set a three year time frame. The first year can be used to build or
upgrade structural infrastructure and the second year to purchase all the needed
software and hardware and finally the third year to kick start the programme. In
between that time can be used to upgrade the teachers’ skills so that when the
project finalises the school is more than ready for the teaching and learning
activities.

All the work mentioned should be well discussed between the SMT, SGB and the
principal prior meeting the parents in the annual general meeting. All methods of
enquiry should be explored, and results from research tabulated for all
stakeholders to have a chance at evaluating them.

At the general meeting the chairperson of the SGB will move the motion, the
principal will present on the need and essence of introducing the subject. Thirdly
an expert in the field, either from the SMT or the teacher body, will give more
deep and precise overview. At this stage the ball is now in motion. Parents will be
invited to have their say as they are also contributors to the school’s rolling funds
and definitely need a voice on how their money will be spent.

The budgeting process will assist the principal and the SGB by:
 It will act as a primary source of knowledge for decision making.
 Budgets are drawn in advance, thus can be called advance plans and will
be utilised to push further the organisational goals and vision.
 All the participants in the budgetary process will be forced to think along
financial lines. It is a form of a feasibility study.

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 It critically looks at the needs of both the educators and the learners in
order to attain educational goals.
 Equity in the distribution of resources and roles.
 Methods of saving can be achieved by critically looking at all alternatives.
Companies like Anglo-American usually dispose their computers after a
five year period. Members on the SGB can be tasked to liaise with such
companies for donations. All this information is documented and shred
with the parents during the meeting.
 Budgets will set out clear well defined targets.
 The budget will act as radar and any deviation will be noted and corrected
on time.

Conclusion
The availability, accessibility and the prudent management of resources both human,
capital and financial can be viewed as one the cornerstones for the efficiency and
efficacy of a well functioning school. The qualitative delivery of the instructional
programme by the school to the society is anchored on the premise of an effective
school administration, led by visionary leadership with the ability and skills for time
management, fair and equitable distribution of financial resources for the school’s
developmental programmes. The school principal as the chief accountable officer
present on site should strike a balance, through symbiotic collaboration with other
stakeholders, by conceptualising how financial resources are distributed for training
and professional upgrading and re-skilling of staff members. Furthermore maintain a
positive inter-relationship with the community and also come up with programmes to
utilise sustainable local technologies. The way funds and other resources are used
should be greatly informed by well planned budgetary proposals. Through budgeting
educational institutions will remain financially viable as schools plan in advance their
intended programmes and proposed expenditures. Budgeting goes a long way in
stemming out wasteful spending and all resources are channelled to the positive
elevation of teaching and learning.

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Dangara, U. (2016). Educational Resources: An Integral Component for Effective School

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