Secondary school learners in curriculum development

M.Ed.This study was conducted in the educational district of Rustenburg. Rustenburg town, situated in the Northwest Province of the Republic of South Africa, is comprised of an urban and rural area. There are altogether 46 secondary schools in the educational district of Rustenburg, which all fall under one Department of Education. Unlike in the past, where any action on curriculum was limited to small group work or to administrative decree, secondary school learners in Rustenburg, as elsewhere in South Africa, are being encouraged to participate in a spirit of genuine co-operation. Their rights, entrenched in the South African Schools Act (RSA, 1996:14) include the right to participate with adults in planning how to utilize their school time and to speak freely and at length in curriculum meetings, often on a footing equal to that of experienced adults