Abstract
Through this Master’s dissertation I researched the origins, emergence, development and legislation of democratic high school student. The dissertation covers the 28 year period between 1968 – 1996, from the origin of high school Student Representative Councils (SRCs) in 1968 to the legislation of democratic SRCs and School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in the South African Schools Act no 84 of 1996. The findings suggest that democratic school governance through SRCs originated in Diepkloof Soweto in 1968 as a campaign of the South African Student Movement (SASM). SRCs emerged across Soweto during the 1970s with the growth of SASM and were greatly strengthened and coordinated by the formation of the Soweto Student Representative Council (SSRC) after June 16th 1976. The 1980s saw the development of democratic SRCs across the country, starting with the Cape School Boycotts of 1980 and spreading across the country through increased campaigns by the Congress of South African Students (COSAS). COSAS’ banning in August of 1985 served as a catalyst to the formation of democratic school governance - Parent-Teacher-Student-Associations (PTSAs) - serving as bodies of equal stakeholders for school decision-making. Democratic student leadership and democratic school governance were both legislated in 1996 by the first democratic government of South Africa. This dissertation traces the day-to-day purpose, structures, functions and characteristics of high school SRCs in South African history. It reveals how democratic SRCs’ deviation from the more traditional and autocratic Prefect system paved way for democratic student leadership bodies in high schools as well as contributing to the development of democratic school governance.