| Summary: | The majority of South African public schools are not performing well considering the overall learner success rates in specifically so called disadvantaged schools. Many factors contribute to this situation, however, all education stakeholders contribute in some way to the success or failure of schools. In this regard alumni of disadvantaged schools in South Africa have not played an active role in supporting their alma maters. This research sought to identify the various roles alumni can play in the development of disadvantaged schools. As innovative strategies to the public education crisis in South Africa are required, one such strategy is to involve a neglected stakeholder group such as alumni to share their skills and resources towards improving the different aspects of school development. There are very few examples of functioning alumni associations at previously disadvantaged schools in the Eastern Cape. Sharing information on a study of two selected schools with already established alumni associations could be of value to other schools in the establishment of their own alumni associations in order to support school improvement and development initiatives. Therefore, based on the findings of this study and from evidence in literature, the researcher concludes that alumni associations can play a meaningful role in developing and transforming disadvantaged schools in a young and developing democracy as in the case of South Africa. This study looked at, amongst other aspects, at the roles and contributions that alumni may play in the development of their alma maters and finally offer guidelines in the establishment of alumni associations.
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