The extent to which students participate in school governance at two senior secondary schools in the Kgalagadi and southern regions of Botswana

Abstract

This study investigated the extent to which students participate in school governance at two senior secondary schools in Kgalagadi and Southern regions. The study was intended to establish the different areas where students’ participation is encouraged to ensure a good governance of the school and how students’ representatives are selected and appointed to participate in these areas of school governance. The study adopted a qualitative approach which is based on interpretive epistemology. Data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire and an in-depth interview. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select 24 students and 16 students from the two senior secondary schools, that is, Seepapitso School and Matsha College. The findings reveal that although there is student representative council and prefects in the two schools, students’ participation in the school committees is insignificant. Students are involved only in supervisory duties which are ensuring that school rules and regulations are observed. It was then concluded that schools need to improve their internal processes to expand student participation in decision-making in issues affecting them.