Internal financial control processes in public schools: A prerequisite for effective financial management

The South African government's substantive shift to decentralize school governance from a centralized state to local communities created several financial management challenges. Concerns for the appropriate utilization of funds, rigorous oversight, and adherence to established financial protocols underscore the fundamental financial stress points experienced in many historically disadvantaged schools. Since 1994, financial mismanagement of public schools is rife, and this is partly attributed to school governing bodies’ of rural and township schools who lack financial expertise. Utilizing a multiple case study design grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, this study examines the internal financial control to manage the finances of schools located in urban, townships, and rural areas. The perceptions and experiences of 18 participants of six schools were solicited. We applied the Accountability Theory which presupposes that financial control is the foundation to establish effective financial processes that hold financial managers accountable. Findings reveal that quintile 1 township and rural schools experience challenges to effectively manage school financial management through the implementation of well-constructed internal financial monitoring and control processes. The finance policy, an internal control mechanism, forms the bedrock to hold financial managers accountable to invariably manage school finances effectively.