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ERIC Number: EJ1179218
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1814-6627
EISSN: N/A
From "Boy-Government" and "Student-Government" to "Learner-Government": The Best of Both Worlds?
Mathebula, Thokozani
Africa Education Review, v15 n2 p1-15 2018
In the history of South African education there have been three contrasting attempts to incorporate learners into the authority structures of schools, namely: "boy-government" (prefect system), "student-government" (Student Representative Councils (SRCs)) and "learner-government" (Representative Councils of Learners (RCLs)). This article traces the historical development of these traditions in governance in South African schools. Against this background, it proffers a historical analysis of these traditions to show that the phrase "learner representative council" is at a crossroads, that is, it is being stretched and pulled in different directions in post-apartheid South Africa. It points out that "student-government" was born out of the rejection of the unpopular "boy-government". It also provides a critical analysis of the attempt of the national "Guides for Representative Councils of Learners" ("Guides for RCLs") (DoE 1999) to blend the "prefect" and "SRC" traditions in order to strengthen democracy at school level. In doing so, it argues that the "Guides for RCLs" undermine democratic SRCs developed in the anti-apartheid education struggle. In the end, the article defends the "student-government" tradition because of its potential to educate for democratic citizenship in post-apartheid South African schools.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A