EFFECTIVENESS OF SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEES IN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN CHIMANIMANI WEST CIRCUIT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ZIMBABWE

This study examined the effectiveness of School Development Committees in financial management in Chimanimani West Circuit primary schools (Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe). The descriptive survey method was found to be the most appropriate method for this study. A questionnaire was administered to six School Development Committees of the six primary schools which were randomly selected from Chimanimani West Circuit. An interview was also conducted on the Head, the teacher, the Deputy Head, the School Development Committees’ chairperson and the treasurer of each school. The study revealed that School Development Committees were not effective in managing funds for their schools due to lack of skills in various aspects of financial management such as preparation and use of budget for decision making, keeping inventory of school assets and raising funds. The researchers recommended the provision of capacity building programmes to the School Development Committees and parents in rural schools in Chimanimani West Circuit by the government, inclusion of a course on decentralisation of education in teacher education curriculum and thorough supervision of School Development Committees to ensure school funds are managed properly in rural schools.