The Mpumalanga Department of Education is making a clarion call to parents and guardians of children who are of school going age to participate in the elections of School Governing Bodies from 06 to 28 March 2015. The Department has put all systems in place to ensure that the election processes run in a peaceful, free and transparent manner. The election of School Governing Bodies (SGB) takes place every three years. The SGBs are statutory bodies, according to the South African Schools Act (SASA), and they stand in a position of trust on behalf of the school.
Democratic SGB elections are aimed at the creation of legitimate SGB structures in every school. These democratically elected structures are critical to:
- Improving the Quality of Education in schools.
- Ensuring that there is good governance.
- Advancing the democratic transformation of our society.
- Ensuring that schools serve the interest of the community and meet the expectations of parents.
- Combating Racism, Sexism and all forms of unfair discrimination and intolerance in schools.
The SGB also have the powers to decide on school policies such as medium of instruction, discipline, and religious policies. “Over the years, through my interactions with various schools in the province, I came to realise that those with high levels of parental involvement tend to perform better at both academic and social levels. SGBs give parents an opportunity to contribute their skills and strengths to the education of their children. I therefore humbly request all parents and guardians to participate in these elections to improve the quality of learning and teaching within the province”, said the MEC Reginah Mhaule.
To ensure that the elected candidates carry out their roles and responsibilities with accuracy, the Department will conduct training sessions where they will be capacitated in the following areas;
- Democratic school governance ( Roles and Responsibilities)
- Financial management
- Policy development
- Diversity Management
- Interviewing skills
- Conducting effective meetings
This year’s elections will take place under the theme; “Together making a difference in our schools”.
