With School Governing Body elections just weeks away, Provincial SGB coordinators came together in Pretoria this week, along with officials from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), to finalise preparations for the elections.
The elections, scheduled for 1 to 31 March, will see parents, teachers and learners in over 24 000 public schools elect candidates who will ensure their schools run efficiently. Newly-elected School Governing Bodies (SGBs) will continue the work of promoting school excellence, ensuring that schools run smoothly and efficiently and that they serve the best interests of communities and expectations of parents. Elections for school SGBs take place every three years.
Every school’s SGB is made up of its most important stakeholders: parents; educators; non-teaching staff, learners (Grade eight or higher) and community members. The term of office is one year for learners and no more than three years for all other members. School principals are automatic members of the SGB.
Themba Kojana, Acting Deputy Director-General of Teachers, Education Human Resources and Institutional Development at the DBE, said that it was of utmost importance that the SGB elections run smoothly.
“Education is an apex priority of government, and ensuring that parents participate in their children’s’ education is critical if we are to achieve any success,” Said Mr Kojana. “As the DBE we are thankful for the partnership of the IEC. They are assisting us greatly and these next two weeks will be used to vigorously mobilise all stakeholders to make sure these elections go off without any problems.”
The meeting was an opportunity for provinces to report back on their progress in preparations for the elections and also to share best practice in areas such as advocacy and training of electoral officials.
Said Dr Francis Nzama, a Chief Director at the DBE, “A functional SGB is an essential component of a school that performs well, so it is of utmost importance that we get parents involved. And it is provincial officials who are at the forefront of this process and their hard work will make the difference in ensuring these elections are successful.”
Report backs from the provincial coordinators which were present indicate that preparations for the elections are on track. Training of election officials is completed in several provinces and all coordinators reported wide reaching advocacy campaigns.
A number of provinces also detailed the benefits of working with the IEC, which will be assisting in the administration of the elections.
