Each secondary school in South Africa is legally obliged to establish a representative council
of learners (RCL), a democratically elected, learner-only council. This article looks at how the
RCLs are realised in practice in four secondary schools. Three research questions focus on
the practice of RCLs, how they engage with learner rights and the role adults play in mediating
RCLs. The paper explores whether RCLs are spaces where learners actively pursue human
rights agendas where inequalities and injustices exist. It adds to a body of work exploring the
enactment of the UNCRC and Constitution in South Africa and explores the complexity of
schooling relations which shape their potential.