Community Participation in School Governance: An Empirical Study from Lesotho,

This original research investigates the efficacy of community participation in school governance in Lesotho. Despite policy commitments to decentralisation, the tangible impact of community structures, such as School Committees, on educational outcomes remains inadequately understood. Employing a sequential mixed-methods approach, the study first gathered quantitative survey data from 150 committee members across 30 schools. This was followed by in-depth qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with principals, committee members, and district officials. The analysis reveals a significant disparity between formal participation and substantive influence. While committees are operationally active in infrastructure and fundraising, their involvement in core pedagogical, personnel, and budgetary governance is circumscribed by limited capacity, unclear mandates, and persistent hierarchical attitudes. Crucially, the findings demonstrate that effective participation correlates strongly with targeted training initiatives and the proactive leadership of school principals. The study concludes that realising the transformative potential of community participation requires moving beyond structural representation to foster genuine collaborative partnerships. These findings advocate for revised training frameworks and clearer policy guidelines to empower communities as authentic stakeholders in Lesotho and similar settings.