A spirit of healthy democratic participation is a feature of this year’s school governing body elections. These elections are held every third year and schools have until 31 March this year to finalise the elections.

“We are receiving a lot of positive feedback from several of our member schools about communities that are far more involved than was the case with earlier elections. This is wonderful news, especially considering the challenges facing education this year,” says Dr Jaco Deacon, CEO of FEDSAS (the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools).

Deacon says more and more school communities are taking ownership. “This is an embodiment of the spirit of the Schools’ Act, which determines that public schools are a community asset that should be managed by the community.”

FEDSAS is continuing with an extensive awareness campaign, not only to encourage parents to vote but also to make all role-players aware of the procedures and acceptable actions and activities surrounding such an election.

“The SGB election is a democratic process. There is no place for gatekeepers, whether in person or in the form of unwritten rules or beliefs about procedures. Most of the provinces published proper election regulations that clearly set out the procedures and roles. School leaders’ role in the election involves communication about the process and takes place through the school’s official communication channels. The current SGB’s functions include planning and implementing the election process and is concluded with a proper transfer meeting with the new SGB.”

Deacon says at this stage it is accepted that SGBs have already decided upon the date and format of the election. “Aside from the process communication, the school also plays a key role in marketing the election. Once candidates have been nominated, the school must introduce these candidates in an equal manner to the school community. FEDSAS welcomes good, healthy democratic processes and elections so that the best possible leaders for our schools are elected. Good school leaders will harness this energy and momentum to the school’s benefit.”

Deacon says active participation in SGB elections was absent for a long time. “We are happy to learn that parents and communities are communicating, canvassing, and proposing candidates outside of the school’s official structures. It is important that we nominate strong candidates and vote in large numbers. Afterall, these are the SGBs that will have to deal with the consequences of BELAB.” FEDSAS also wants to reiterate the importance of good SGB training. “We request our members to ensure that the governing body and management teams are equipped properly for their task. FEDSAS has thorough, proven training programmes and a wealth of other resources to support SGBs.”

For more information on the SGB elections as well as FEDSAS’s training programmes and other resources, visit www.fedsas.org.za