Each district in which Equal Education (EE) is active, has a Leadership Committee. A Leadership Committee is a representative body of students from high schools where EE is active. Each school is represented by two students. There are presently three committees, in Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein and Bonteheuwel. The committees plan and execute campaigns, mobilise other learners, and carry out the dissemination of information.
The Leadership Committee is currently preparing for a major protest action, which will involve sleeping outside the gates of Parliament from July 12th. Part of the preparation for this "sleep-in" protest took place at the Leadership Committee camp, held in Simon's Town from Wednesday, July 6th to Friday, July 8th.
The camp focused on the role and skills of a Leadership Committee member. Activities included:
- Equal Education’s history, politics and principles
- The history of education in South Africa
- How to function as a Leadership Committee member in one’s school
On the first night of the camp, Jack Lewis, a life-long activist and filmmaker, came to show the camp his new documentary on the history of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). The Leadership Committee took many lessons from the film and a good discussion followed the screening.
The Leadership Committee left the camp for a few hours to run a mass meeting in Khayelitsha to prepare for the sleep-in outside Parliament. The mass meeting was used to review the recent People’s Summit for Quality Education. Later in the meeting, more than 100 Equalisers signed up for the sleep-in.
