Die struktuur en funksionering van verteenwoordigende leerlingrade in sekondêre skole

Abstract

The democratic election in 1994 was the beginning of a new education dispensation in South Africa. These events led to the publishing of the South African Education Act on the 15th of November 1996, that is inter alia directed on vindicating the rights of learners and to promote their acceptance of responsibility for the organisation, governance and financing of their schools. To achieve this, it is stipulated that a Representative Council of learners was to be established in secondary schools. The aim of the research was to assess the nature of student participation in schools, and to give a review of the practices of student participation in a few countries. In reference of the preceding aims, an effort was made to establish guidelines for the structure and functioning of Student Representative Councils (SRC's) in secondary schools. The function of the SRC as representative of the interests and needs of students in the ordinary school events, was described by focusing on subjects such as democratic participation, democratic principals for student participation, advantages and disadvantages of student participation, minimum standards for student participation and practices of student participation in South Africa, Europe, New Zealand and the USA, by way of a literary study. The well established prefect system in secondary schools was reviewed and it was found, that the prefect system needed to transform because it did not comply, to the guidelines laid down by SRC's. Certain lacuna's regarding Student Representative Councils that became evident from the literary study, was adressed by means of interviews that were conducted with a few individuals. In reference to the preceding, guidelines were established and findings were made for the structure and functioning of Student Representative Councils.