Statement by André Gaum, Western Cape Education Minister

Governing body elections for all schools in the Western Cape will be held between April and October 2003.

In terms of the South African Schools Act, every public school must establish a school governing body to represent the school community and govern the school. The governing body is, amongst others, responsible for the following:

• Promoting the interests of the school and striving to ensure its development through the provision of quality education for all learners;
• Adopting a constitution and developing a mission statement for the school
• Adopting a code of conduct for learners;
• Administering and controlling the school’s property and buildings and grounds, including hostels;
• Drawing up an annual budget and controlling the expenditure and income of the school (school funds, etc.);
• Making recommendations to the Head of Education with regard to the appointment of educators and non-educators

The election of school governing bodies provides school communities with an opportunity to transform schools into institutions of which they can be proud. It also gives school communities the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote for representatives of their choice.

I therefore urge all school communities and other roleplayers to participate in the coming governing body elections. Without everybody’s active involvement the vision of sound education for all learners in the Province cannot be realised. Principals of public schools will provide each learner’s parents with a notice of the date, time and venue of their school’s election meeting.