Provincial RCL Forum Elections
23 April 2021
The Representative Council of Learners (RCL) Provincial Forum Elections on Saturday, 17 April 2021 was held online this year, for the very first time, in compliance with COVID-19 Restrictions.
The pioneering event was described as sleek and technically well-managed with learners showing maturity and competence in overcoming the challenge of an online platform.
Kubeshini Govender, Provincial RCL Coordinator, said the candidates displayed accountability and integrity in their manifesto statements and illustrated how they could contribute to learner leadership and build social cohesion within their schools and communities. “It was very heartening for the team to see the way the learners engaged with the process.”
The presentation by the guest speaker, Gustav Appels, a Grade 12 learner at Parkdene High School in George, who dug graves last year to pay for his school fees and started a soup kitchen in his community, was impactful.
His parting words to the delegates were: “Who do you want to be and where do you want to be?” Govender said Appels was the ideal choice for the keynote address and his presentation tied in with the theme “developing learner accountability and learner integrity”.
“I would like to thank the district coordinators for their seamless participatory leadership. It is thanks to these colleagues, who drive the RCL agenda in their districts, that we can have RCLs at the forefront of school leadership and governance!”
The voting process was tight with the four Provincial Forum Representatives all from metro districts. It was therefore unanimously decided to include representatives from the three rural districts to ensure participation from the rural districts.
The Provincial RCL Forum members representatives are:
Lao Molele, Grade 12, Fairmont High – Chairperson
Osee Kabongo, Grade 12, Parow High – Vice Chairperson
Cassidy Schippers, Grade 12, Sibelius Secondary – Secretary
Zakiyah Ismail, Grade 12, Rylands High – Assistant Secretary
Stacey Langley, Grade 11, Weston High – Additional member
Caylyne-Leigh Marthinus, Grade 12, Swellendam Secondary – Additional member
Lian Muller, Grade 11, Paarl Gimnasium – Additional member
All the best to the 2021 Provincial RCL Forum and congratulations to the newly elected team!