Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
The Design and Development of a Maturity Model Tool to Assess Financial Management within South African Schools
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
|
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867614016520585216 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Dippenaar, Amey |
| author2 | Grobbelaar, S. S. |
| author_browse | Dippenaar, Amey Grobbelaar, S. S. |
| author_facet | Grobbelaar, S. S. Dippenaar, Amey |
| author_sort | Dippenaar, Amey |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135742 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:20.375Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135742 The Design and Development of a Maturity Model Tool to Assess Financial Management within South African Schools Dippenaar, Amey Grobbelaar, S. S. Van Rooyen, G. J. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering. Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Dippenaar, A. 2026. The Design and Development of a Maturity Model Tool to Assess Financial Management within South African Schools. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/b3fc13b1-38e8-4876-a271-7dd18d1fb970 Financial management in South African public schools remains one of the most persistent governance challenges in the education sector. Although legislation, such as the South African Schools Act, and guidelines, such as the Basic Financial Systems for Schools, clearly outline the processes that should guide how funds are managed, irregularities and misuse of funds continue to surface. These problems suggest that compliance with regulations alone does not guarantee sound financial management. What possibly differentiates schools that manage their finances well from those that struggle lies in the maturity of their financial management practices, as well as the extent to which sound governance principles are embedded and consistently applied. This study aims to design a practical developmental tool that helps schools assess and strengthen the maturity of their financial management processes. The research follows a design science research (DSR) approach, which was well-suited to the study, as it aims to solve a real-world problem while contributing to theoretical insights. Guided by the eight-step process for maturity model development proposed by Becker et al. (2009), a financial management maturity model is developed. The model comprises nine domains that represent the key areas of financial management within schools, drawn from existing legislation, policy guidelines, and literature. Each domain is measured across five progressively mature levels, ranging from basic compliance to optimised governance. The development process includes an evaluation exercise using expert feedback through semi-structured interviews with school finance stakeholders. This process was executed to determine whether the model accurately reflects the realities and progression of financial management maturity in schools, and whether it offers clear and practical guidance for improvement. Rather than serving as another compliance checklist, the maturity model is intended to be a reflective tool that encourages schools to understand where their current financial governance stands and identify areas for improvement, thus enabling them to build stronger and more sustainable governance processes. By framing financial management as a process of growth rather than compliance, the study makes both practical and theoretical contributions. It offers a structured yet flexible mechanism that can assist schools to grow towards greater accountability, transparency, and long-term financial stability. Masters 2026-04-09T07:20:29Z 2026-04-09T07:20:29Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135742 en Stellenbosch University 136 pages : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Dippenaar, Amey The Design and Development of a Maturity Model Tool to Assess Financial Management within South African Schools |
| title | The Design and Development of a Maturity Model Tool to Assess Financial Management within South African Schools |
| title_full | The Design and Development of a Maturity Model Tool to Assess Financial Management within South African Schools |
| title_fullStr | The Design and Development of a Maturity Model Tool to Assess Financial Management within South African Schools |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Design and Development of a Maturity Model Tool to Assess Financial Management within South African Schools |
| title_short | The Design and Development of a Maturity Model Tool to Assess Financial Management within South African Schools |
| title_sort | design and development of a maturity model tool to assess financial management within south african schools |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135742 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dippenaaramey thedesignanddevelopmentofamaturitymodeltooltoassessfinancialmanagementwithinsouthafricanschools AT dippenaaramey designanddevelopmentofamaturitymodeltooltoassessfinancialmanagementwithinsouthafricanschools |