Experiences of Educator Evidence Leader's Role in Learner Discipline

The fair management of learner discipline is guided by regulations and legal provisions such as Section 33 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996 and the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996. The Disciplinary Hearing is considered a quasi-judicial hearing to resolve learner transgressions; the Evidence Leader and Disciplinary Committee perform quasi-judicial functions to investigate an alleged transgression. This study emphasises that Evidence Leaders must have some degree of legal knowledge to manage this process fairly. The study has revealed how significant and unique the role of the Evidence Leader is in managing learner discipline and in presenting the case in a Disciplinary Hearing to make fair decisions with a view to changing a learner's behaviour. The determination of the Evidence Leader to bring about change in learners by managing learner discipline in a manner that is both corrective and restorative constitutes a major contribution to the management practices of discipline in schools in South Africa.