The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) invites parents and guardians to participate in School Governing Body (SGB) elections throughout the month of March.
These are the third-largest elections in the province, and we call on all parents and guardians to vote for their peers to fill over 30 000 SGB posts throughout the province.
SGBs are tasked with ensuring the smooth running of schools. They have powers to decide on school policies such as language of instruction, discipline, and religious policies. SGBs are also responsible for school fees, school budget, financial policies, and fundraising.
Schools with high levels of parental involvement tend to perform better, both academically and socially. Last year, we rolled out parental workshops in underperforming schools which will continue in 2012. At these workshops, we discussed ways for families to prioritise then education of their children, creating space for homework, checking the books of children, and meeting with teachers if a child is struggling with a subject.
The GDE has launched a number of interventions that prioritise the 1183 underperforming primary and high school targeting all the 12 schooling grades. The Gauteng Primary Schools Language and Mathematics Strategy aims to improve learner's language and numeracy skills.
The Intermediate and Senior Phase strategy looks at the transition from primary to high schools and provides learners with the necessary skills to participate meaningful in secondary school life.
The Secondary School Improvement Plan seeks to improve the performance of secondary schools and increase the number of learners who successfully complete their schooling careers.
Educators play an important role in ensuring that these interventions are successful. But they are only one leg of a three-legged pot.
Learners need to be dedicated and disciplined to succeed. And parents play a vital role in motivating children to succeed.
Research has shown that learners with parents who play an active role in the education of their children are likely to do well at school. Professionals from humble beginnings point to a parent figure that motivated them and took an active interest in their schooling life for their success.
SGBs take parental involvement to the next level where they contribute their skills and strengths to the schooling community.
It provides an opportunity to be involved in what the school is doing; if the school is managed correctly; the challenges educators face; and what the school needs so that you can assist or mobilise help and resources.
It builds communities and mobilises parents to participate in schools. Discipline among learners requires the support of both parents and educators.
Parents have the primary responsibility for maintaining discipline among learners. This includes making sure that children leave home early enough to be on time at school.
Parents, as part of SGBs, also address some of the more difficult disciplinary cases that are outside the domain of educators. Parents who feel they can help improve the quality of education and governance in schools should consider standing for election as SGB members.
Being an SGB member is voluntary and there is no remuneration. It is a three year commitment where you would need to attend at least four meetings per year.
However, the rewards of making an active contribution to your community and making a positive impact in the lives of young people are immense. The GDE has scheduled training after the elections for SGBs in all aspects of governance, policy development and implementation, budgeting and financial management.
Over the next few weeks, schools will invite parents or guardians to attend two meetings which should take place no less than 24 hours of each other. The first meeting is to nominate candidates and the second meeting is where the voting will take place.
Members of SGBs include parents or guardians, educators, learners in grade 8 or higher, staff members who are not educators and co-opted community members. Principals are automatic members of SGBs.
The participation of all these stakeholders, including learners, educators and general staff in a school ensures that everyone has a role to play in decisions taken about the whole schooling collective.
Principals must inform parents of dates for nominations and elections at their child's school. Nominations and elections should take place at times that are convenient for the majority of parents.
To make sure all SGB elections are free and fair, district officials will over-see the nomination and voting process. Regulations to govern these elections will be promulgated in the coming weeks in time for the elections.
Each school has an Electoral Officer and they have been trained in the importance of structures of SGBs, their roles and responsibilities, how nominations and elections work, eligible candidates, and the counting process.
They are also trained in administering, monitoring and reporting on each election site. The IEC is assisting us with the elections process.
Last year, in preparation for these elections, I established a multi-stakeholder forum with the SGB associations to assist us with planning. We meet regularly and their support and contributions have been invaluable. I wish to thank you for continuing to place the education of children your priority.
We will hold Imbizos in each of the 15 districts to explain to parents how these elections work and how they can nominate or be nominated as candidates. We also want to mobilise parents and guardians to participate in large numbers in electing a school leadership of their choice.
I wish to thank the current members of SGBs whose term of office is now expiring. The role you played in ensuring that governance in the province became as democratic and transparent as possible, is thankless. Please ensure that proper handover processes takes place in your schools. Where you still can, please continue to avail your skills and expertise for the benefit of schools.
Your vote counts, so make your child's education your priority!
Enquiries:
Charles Phahlane
Tel: 011 355 1530
Cell: 071 860 4496
