VOICES OF SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS ON SCHOOL GOVERNANCE AND DIGITALISATION OF EDUCATION IN ZIMBABWE

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019 and the subsequent travel restrictions instituted by the World Health Organisation to curtail the spread of the virus saw the disruption of educational activities and the management thereof, affecting the role of the School Development Committees (SDCs). The number of SDC meetings to approve procurement and purchase of educational materials was decimated, henceforth school heads made sole decisions in contrast to the requirements of fiscal policies. This qualitative case study investigates how the work of SDCs in eight Zimbabwean schools is affected during COVID-19 and the transition to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), and then establishes tenable alternatives to the conditions. To gather information, document analysis and semi-structured interviews were used. Schools are far from embracing the 4IR despite that SDCs must conduct all school governance online, just like any other business. The study suggests that educational institutions should spend money on developing digital infrastructures and educating SDC members on digital capabilities. This study adds conversation to scholarship on the use of the Internet of Things {IoT) in school governance.