Statement at media launch of School Governing Body (SGB) elections by Mrs Angie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education Pretoria
30 Jan 2012
Deputy Minister Surty,
Esteemed members of the press,
Officials and members of staff,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Let me start by welcoming warmly all journalists from various media houses. I feel exceptionally honoured by your presence which gives more meaning and ‘airtime' to the announcement of this round of elections of School Governing Bodies (SGBs).
We are still thrilled by the outcome of the 2012 matric exams. The Class of 2011 indeed made us proud by giving the nation a 70.2% pass rate, with 120 767 learners qualifying for degree programmes. Treating SGB elections as a priority will help us in further improving performance and the quality of passes we get. A careful selection of parents is of paramount importance.
Research has shown that learner achievement is dependent also on the level of support and active involvement of parents and members of the community.
It is uncontested that SGBs play a crucial role in the success of schools. Schools with effective and efficient SGB members are most likely to secure greater success than those with limited parental and community involvement. A strong SGB powered by an influential parental component renders both plausible and realistic President Jacob Zuma's undertaking to the nation that "Education will be a key priority" for the nation.
The President called on all "our teachers, learners and parents to work together with government to turn our schools into thriving centres of excellence." It is precisely in pursuance of this national imperative that we welcome the critical role of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in SGB elections.
In partnership with a wide range of education stakeholders, we have launched the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) as a rallying point for galvanising support for education. The success of the QLTC rests mainly on adherence by all parties, including parents, to its codes of commitment.
The quality learning and teaching campaign was reinforced when we signed the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) Accord on Basic Education and Partnership with Schools involving organised labour, business, community constituencies and government.
The Adopt-a-School campaign, agreed to as part of this initiative, will link our partners with schools for support and improvement purposes.
It is against this background that we announce the 2012 School Governing Body elections, to be held from 1 to 31 March. We urge the nation to make these a resounding success befitting a winning nation like ours whose accolades include hosting a successful FIFA World Cup.
Parents, teachers and learners in over 24 000 public schools will elect representatives across the country. Newly-elected School Governing Bodies will continue the work of promoting school excellence, ensuring that schools run smoothly and efficiently and that they serve the best interest of communities and expectations of parents.
Creative and resourceful SGBs play a fundamental role in mobilising scarce resources for education. They are very instrumental in the fight against racism, sexism, xenophobia and all other forms of discrimination and intolerance. I call upon all parents with children of school going-age to take part in the upcoming SGB elections.
Make yourself available for nomination, attend meetings and participate in the elections. This is your chance as a parent and member of the community to make a difference to your schools.
I am often asked whether community members with no children at a school may serve in an SGB. Indeed they can. The SGB may co-opt members with expertise in areas that may benefit the SGB and the school, but these have no voting rights.
We need School Governing Bodies that will support curriculum delivery. We need to focus on the improvement of learner achievement by supporting schools in developing strategies for improving teaching and learning.
Attention should be paid also to the supply of textbooks, desks and maintenance of infrastructure and the safety of learners and educators. What we also need now is for parents, through SGBs, to understand how and why their children perform at a particular level in both Grade 12 NSC exams and the Annual National Assessments.
The IEC will be part of the monitoring process in all provinces during the elections and will assist in generating the report on the election process.
As head office, we are ready for the elections. We have developed materials to aid smooth preparations. These are: the National Guidelines for School Governing Body Elections, Training Manual for Electoral Officers and the SGB Pamphlet. National Guidelines were developed to bring about uniformity in the system across all provinces on the election process and procedures.
These documents have already been delivered to districts and will be provided to schools. Officials and schools will have common documents to refer to.
All our Circuit Managers will be provided with training manuals to assist them to prepare School Electoral officers adequately and uniformly. The Training Manual for Electoral Officers takes the trainers step by step on how the elections must be conducted.
Each Provincial Education Department will conduct its advocacy campaign. In addition, the DBE has produced pamphlets to inform communities more about School Governing Bodies. These will be distributed from government offices, community centres and health centres.
We invite all schools to contribute to the process by sending us reports on how they have mobilised parents and the community as part of the public record of the 2012 SGB elections. These will be posted on our website. Schools may forward their reports to the following: [email protected].
I would like to thank outgoing members of governing bodies for their time and commitment. I would also wish to acknowledge the support of the Independent Electoral Commission which plays such an important role of organising an efficient election process. It has given also invaluable assistance to the Department in the development of election guidelines.
Once more, all thanks to the Fourth Estate for making it possible for us to speak with the nation. All the best for 2012!
Issued by the Department of Basic Education, January 30 2012
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