Representative Council of Learners (RCL) elections are currently taking place in all schools and provinces across the country. Public schools have from 17 – 31 January 2024, to elect and empower their cohort of leaders to work hand in hand with the School Principal, School Management Team and School Governing Body (SGB) to promote good relations amongst learners, between learners and educators, and between the school and the community as a whole. An RCL represents the interests of all learners, whilst striving to set a positive example of discipline; loyalty; respect; morality; active participation; and an ethos of safety and learning.

Last year, the DBE’s Education Management and Governance Development (EMGD) Directorate held an online two-day virtual RCL workshop from 3 to 4 October 2023, with over 40 participants attending. The purpose of the Workshop was to enrich RCL’s towards a stronger peer education machinery in South African schools within a child and youth agency framework under the theme: “Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders: Strategies for Sustainable RCL Success’’.

In accordance with the South African Schools Act (SASA), a RCL should promote quality learning and teaching in schools as the elected representative structure, providing all learners with an opportunity to voice their concerns and formulate strategies that respond to various challenges faced. As the country is hosting the national elections in 2024, their key mandates is to encourage participation in the democratic processes available to them and to work together with external organisations, community leaders and fellow learners to enact sustainable solutions to school safety challenges, such as Gender-Based Violence, drug abuse and discrimination.

The 2023 National RCL Conference, which took place from 29 – 30 June 2023, under the theme, “Advancing learner participation and functionality of learner leaders in South African Schools” was hosted with the objective of strengthening the functioning of RCLs in provinces, whilst addressing the challenges hampering the efficient functioning of RCLs. In her opening address, Minister Angie Motshekga stated that: “It fills my heart with pride to witness the enthusiasm and dedication of young minds shaping the future of our educational landscape. This platform acknowledges the potential of learner leadership in our schools, nurtures the passion for reading, and explores the significant role that learner leadership plays in maintaining discipline within our educational institutions”. Minister Motshekga concluded her address by highlighting the importance of learner leadership towards positive discipline in schools, as well as the power of reading.