Learner voice

Learner Representative Councils are supposed to act as a vital link between the school administration and fellow Learners in the managing school discipline. However, the exact role of Learner leaders in managing the discipline of their fellow Learners has remained unclear in most schools in Namibia. This study aimed at investigating the influence of learners’ Representative Council on the management of discipline in selected secondary schools in Kunene region of Namibia.
The study adopted a mixed method research design whereby data that could be presented both qualitatively and quantitatively was collected using questionnaires, Observation Notes and interview schedules. The study targeted secondary school LRC members, Principals and LRC Mentor Teachers in Kunene Region of Namibia. The total sample size was 15 respondents, comprising of 3 principals, 3 LRC Mentor Teachers and 9 student leaders who were from the schools that were randomly selected for the sample.
The findings of the study showed that LRC members play a significant role in managing and influencing learner discipline in secondary schools. These findings will be useful in helping secondary school administrators and managers, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, and other key education stakeholders in coming up with ways of strengthening and training LRCs  in their role of influencing and managing learner discipline in secondary schools in Kunene Region and Namibia at large.

The Namibian Basic Education Act No 3 of 2020 mandates schools to establish Learner Representative Councils. Learner Representative Councils are management bodies at schools comprised of learner leaders, as supporting leaders to the overall school leadership. The purpose of the study was to establish the practices conducive to the development of learner leadership in schools as required by statutory instruments. A case study design was used for the study, involving a school principal, teachers and learners in Oshana Region. All participants were selected using purposive sampling technique. The data was collected using document analysis, semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis method. The study found that learner leadership is developed through a spirit of cooperation between different members of the school community. Cooperation helps learner leaders to execute their responsibilities successfully. In addition, conducting meeting with Learner Representative Council members is an important enabler for developing learner leaders, as the platform allows learner leaders to express applause, concerns and leadership aspirations, and to obtain guidance and mentorship from senior leaders. The finding also revealed that leadership development is nurtured through appropriate training interventions vested upon learner leaders to groom their skills and attitudes for improved leadership performance. The study concluded that learner leadership is an essential component of school leadership structure, requiring school authorities to be mindful of the factors essential for developing learner leadership structures, so that the structures are fully established and empowered to deliver outcomes as expected.

This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my beloved husband John for his endless love and support.

Educational leadership and management (ELM) research overly focuses on adult leadership development at the expense of leadership of learners. Framed by the concept of learner voice, this article focuses on learner leadership and argues that learners should be treated as people whose ideas matter. It draws on a Bachelor of Education Honours (ELM) elective which required students (practicing teachers) to establish school leadership clubs and involve learners in a reform initiative in pursuit of leadership development. The longitudinal study which informed this article was designed as a multi-case study to explore learner voice and the development of leadership across 44 leadership clubs drawing on three data sources. The study found that while the phenomenon of learner leadership was not common across schools, leadership clubs offered a space for the development of learner voice. Learner voice was generated in relation to the school physical environment, English proficiency amongst le...

The Namibian Basic Education Act No. 3 of 2020 mandates schools to establish Learner Representative Councils. Learner Representative Councils are management bodies at schools comprising of learner leaders, as supporting leaders to the overall school leadership. The purpose of the study was to establish the challenges facing the development of learner leaders in schools. A case study design was used for the study, involving a school principal, teachers, and learners in Oshana Region. All participants were selected using purposive sampling technique. The data was collected using document analysis, semi-structured questionnaires, and interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse textual data. The study found out that the development of learner leadership was constrained by the absence of policy directives which could drive development efforts for learner leadership. Apart from the Education Act which provides a legal framework for establishing learner leadership structures, importa...

Public schools in Namibia are mandated to establish a learner leadership structure to assist with the management and leadership functions of schools. The purpose of the study was to establish the management and leadership functions of Learner Representative Council members in schools, with the aim of raising awareness among school communities about the exactfunctions of the Learner Representative Councils members in schools.A case study design was used for the study, whose sample comprised of a school principal, teachers and learners of Oshana Region. All participants were selected using purposive sampling. The data was collected with document analysis, semi-structured questionnaires, interviews, observation and journaling, and analysed by establishing themes. The study found out that the management and leadership roles of Learner Representative Council members relate to the supervision of study and tests at school, monitoring of other learners at school and leading in organising social events and activities at school. In addition, learner leaders were also charged with the responsibility of being a conduit for communications between teachers and learners at school.The study established that Learner Representative Council members have proven management and leadership functionsat school, for which the school should afford learner leaders an opportunity to exercise their management and leadership responsibilities. The study recommended that school authorities should educate the learner community about the necessity, presence and roles of the Learner Representative Council to ensure less resistance from learners towards learner leaders for a smooth execution of the management and leadership functions by learner leaders. Keywords: Learner leadership, Learner representative council, Leadership, Management, learner voice, learner leader

The Namibian Basic Education Act No 3 of 2020 mandates schools to establish Learner Representative Councils. Learner Representative Councils are management bodies at schools comprised of learner leaders, as supporting leaders to the overall school leadership. The purpose of the study was to establish the practices conducive to the development of learner leadership in schools as required by statutory instruments. A case study design was used for the study, involving a school principal, teachers and learners in Oshana Region. All participants were selected using purposive sampling technique. The data was collected using document analysis, semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis method. The study found that learner leadership is developed through a spirit of cooperation between different members of the school community. Cooperation helps learner leaders to execute their responsibilities successfully. In addition, conducting meeting with Learner Representative Council members is an important enabler for developing learner leaders, as the platform allows learner leaders to express applause, concerns and leadership aspirations, and to obtain guidance and mentorship from senior leaders. The finding also revealed that leadership development is nurtured through appropriate training interventions vested upon learner leaders to groom their skills and attitudes for improved leadership performance. The study concluded that learner leadership is an essential component of school leadership structure, requiring school authorities to be mindful of the factors essential for developing learner leadership structures so that the structures are fully established and empowered to deliver outcomes as expected.
Keywords: Learner Leadership, Learner Representative Council, Leadership, Management, Learner Voice, Learner Leader, Leadership Development