Bringing down the fence through school-community partnership: a case for the Community Education Forum framework

Abstract

This article proposes that a metaphorical fence between schools and communities can be brought down by using democratically elected Community Education Forums (CEFs). The CEF concept was piloted in a participatory-action research project that was conducted in three rural communities in Limpopo, one community in Mpumalanga, one in Eastern Cape and in one informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, between 2005 and 2006. In this pilot project, the CEF concept was found to be effective in providing a platform that would facilitate a dialogue among different stakeholders such as school governing bodies, community policing forums, educators and education officials. The CEF's strength is rooted in its inclusivity of all community structures and in giving an equal voice to all. Thus through effective community participation the CEF framework has a potential to break down that “fence” that separates schools from the communities they serve. The data from all sites indicated positive responses from participants, ranging from evidence of active collaboration to the willingness to collaborate. The signs of collaboration among different stakeholders in each site included the utilisation of human resources and skills to address urgent educational challenges cost-effectively. Such collaboration and partnerships are positive in terms of facilitating a relevant and integrated curriculum delivery.