The Association supports the moves towards the establishment of local school boards as an element of a decentralized system of governance and as a component of an effective school-based management system.

To ensure that there be no mix up of the role and purpose of the Local School Boards, the Association recommends that the following guidelines be considered for the establishment of these boards:

• The main purpose of the boards is to act in an advisory capacity to the school for an enhanced delivery of educational services.
  
  
• Boards can be a vital link between schools and the community. Thus the composition of the board and its philosophy must reflect a community-based input. They can be a channel for input from and support of this community.
  
  
• Boards can be in a position whereby they are able to raise funds for the schools.
  
  
• Central government cannot reduce its budget allocations to schools. Funding education is a responsibility of the state and monies raised by boards cannot be seen as a replacement.
  
  
• Funds raised by the boards for their schools ought to be used for the enhancement of projects, facilities and amenities within the school. Refurbishing and upgrading of schools are the responsibility of the state.
  
  
• Boards cannot compromise or influence teaching issues on the basis of their financial contributions.
  
  
• In no way should these boards be involved in the evaluation of individual teachers.
  
  
• As such the boards cannot be a channel to the District Education Office.
  
  
• However boards can make assessment on whether or not their schools are effectively responding to the needs of the community.
  
  
• The terms of reference and the limitations of these boards must be clearly defined.
  
  
• Board members must be exposed to some level of training to allow them to understand their role and so to govern effectively.
  
  
• There must be a formal, legal framework for the operations and authority of boards.
  
  
• A mechanism for evaluation of the performance of the boards must be put in place.

The Ministry of Education proposes that each secondary school ought to have its own board. For primary schools, each Educational District will have under a single District Board of Education boards of management for clusters of schools. These clusters will be determined by number of schools; geographical distribution and school population. The Association does not see it all necessary to then have these various boards in the Educational District come together to form the District Board of Education. The Association finds such a unit not only redundant, but inconsistent with the principle of boards acting only as advisory bodies.

Other areas of concern re the boards (for clusters) include:-

i) The composition at this time is not clearly defined.

ii) The relationship between the School Management Team (SMT) and the board has to be clarified.

iii) The proposed District Board with the SSIII as the Manager will cause a mix-up of the authority of the Ministry of Education, through the supervisor, with that of the board.

iv) The relationship between the existing denominational boards and the proposed new boards has not been spelt out.

v) The MOE's proposed LSB's do not take into account/consideration the invaluable contribution of the existing denominational school boards in the education system. The Association appeals to the MOE to draw upon the experience and successes of these boards to assist in the implementation and formulation of the terms of references of the new LSB.

vi) The establishment of boards may well result in a radical review of the Concordat.

Position Prepared by the
Central Education Committee
Approved and endorsed by the
General Council
July 2003