School Governing Council, Its Vital Role in the School System

Knowing the nature and the purpose of any organization existing in any institution is the best way of knowing its effectiveness and relevance to the system where it exits. In the same way, making ourselves aware of the objectives and purposes of the varied clubs and organizations existing in our school, gives us a clearer picture of how important they are in establishing and operationalizing our school.

Several are still ignorant of this School Governing Council. They do not even know who composed this, who are to be in the positions and what are they specific functions ect. It is in that premise that I decided dwelling in this topic to help the DepEd inform and disseminate the vital role of the SGC to the school system.

The School Governing Council, an organization every school must have, is geared toward the holistic development of schoolchildren; it is child-centered and focused on the learner’s performance. The experiences of schools with functional school councils are utilized to assist schools.

School governance refers to the authority of education stakeholders to jointly make decisions directed towards the continuous improvement of learning and promotion of children’s welfare in the school. It is the interface among school stakeholders who make strategic decisions that shape the school and its work and are, therefore, ultimately accountable for the work and actions of the whole system.

The school, as an organization, defines the relationships among the key players in its operations and expands its ability to work with the stakeholders through an effective Governance structure composed of representatives from different groups of school community stakeholders. Thus, school governance is a system which operates

under the principle that education which is focused on the holistic development of school children is a shared responsibility and a shared accountability among school

community stakeholders.

 A stable and effective leadership is characterized as shared leadership, shared commitment and shared accountability. In the school context, success in school improvement is greatly determined by the quality of the shared commitment of all stakeholders - shared commitment that is founded on the spirit of shared ownership of the school. Therefore, school leaders should facilitate the development of shared organizational values, trust, and a system’s perspective which serves as a strong foundation on which school-based shared decision-making is built.

When school leaders help stakeholders move sources of power, motivation, self-esteem and well-being, those within the school community develop a broader and deeper sense of responsibility to the work they share and a strong commitment to see the school succeed. When stakeholders are included in the decision-making process, they are more likely to implement change that ultimately benefits the learning and development of school children. Accountability means taking one’s fair share of responsibility for outcomes. Being accountable means one answers for his/her actions as well as the results of his/her actions. Accountability is not only taking credit, but also accepting the blame.

 In school governance, stakeholders with harmonized perspectives and experiences are crucial in improving the lives of children, youth, families and the community.

These groups of stakeholders may be formally represented in a governance structure in the school system. In the SBM Framework and Standards adopted by the DepEd, these School Governance structures are called School Governing Councils (SGCs). They are composed of:

􀂃 Internal Stakeholders

O         Students and student organizations

o          Parents of students/pupils and Parent

Associations

o          Teachers, Non-teaching and Teacher

Associations in the school

􀂃 External Stakeholders

O         Various Government Agencies

o          Non-Government Agencies 1

o          Civic and Social Organizations2

o          Alumni

o          Retirees

o          Professionals

o          Basic Sectors: Business, Fisherfolks, Farmers,

Indigenous People, Cultural Minority, others

Basically, SGC provides a forum for parents, students, teachers, community stakeholders and the school head to work together towards continuously improving student learning outcomes. SGCs provide the opportunity and the environment to develop shared responsibility in the children’s learning and holistic development and to encourage and facilitate effective community stakeholder participation in school improvement  process focused on children’s learning and welfare .Now, after knowing all the facts and significance of SGC in the school system, we therefore encourage that all schools must have their own SGCs and make them operational and functional as partners in attaining the ultimate goal of the department.

Reference:

Manual on School Governing Council

Department of Education