Student leadership: Participation of the representative council of learners in the management of school violence in high school

Abstract

School violence has been on the increase over the past few years, despite several interventions put in place by school management, the Department of Education and parents. Nonetheless, school violence remains a debilitating factor to safe and secure schools. It is within this context that this paper examines the participation of Representative Council of Learners (RCLs) in the management and reduction of school-based violence in high schools and their participation in school governance as stipulated in the South African Schools Act (SASA) Act. No 84 of 1996. Insights for this paper were drawn from twelve participants at two high schools; six participants were selected from each school. Semi-structured interviews were employed for data collection and content analysis employed to analyse collected data for the paper. A purposive case study approach was adopted in the study to achieve the objective of the paper. The core melodies that emerged from the outcomes include that Representative Council of Learners (RCLs) serve as a vital information gathering tool for school managers; Most times the Representative Council of Learners are the first school management arm to intervene in chaotic incidents before school managers arrive and some Representative Council of Learners serve as role models to other learners influencing them positively.