Boards of trustees (BOTs) as avenues for shared decision-making in Egyptian Schools: Teachers’ Perceptions

This paper reports on findings from a larger qualitative research study on shared decision-making in Egyptian secondary schools. It explores teachers’ perceptions of Boards of Trustees as potential avenues for shared decision-making. Data were collected through interviews with 85 research participants from nine general secondary schools in Damietta County, Egypt. The results indicate that the creation of such structures does not necessarily make SDM happen. While some participants perceived the BOTs to provide more opportunities for members of the school community to engage in SDM, others believed that the rhetoric surrounding these bodies is much more significant than their substance.