Jonathan Paoli
Education is a societal issue, since the school is a microcosm of society, says Gauteng MEC for Education and Youth Development Matome Chiloane in his address to 240 delegates on the status of safety at the province’s schools on Saturday at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.
Violence and incidents of crime have increased at schools, prompting a collaborative effort to stem the tide. An example is that on Friday, a gang failed in their attempt to stop matric learners from writing examinations. The Acting HOD Rufus Mmutlana said while giving a brief background on the state of school safety in Gauteng, which led to the indaba.
The School Safety Indaba is part of the Safe Schools Campaign, a commitment under the Operation Kgutla Molao – Restore Order Campaign, which mobilises different stakeholders to safeguard schools against criminal activities, especially during the holidays.
The Indaba evaluated the progress of the campaign so far, developing further interventions for emerging threats and also providing a status update on identified high-risk schools in the province.
Chiloane told stakeholders present at the Indaba that the safety of public schools in Gauteng was paramount and spoke about the interventions that have been implemented at schools across the province.
The school is a microcosm of the larger society, Chiloane said and the context of the challenges faced by learners at the school extended beyond the actual school, and the reflection of society, required an integrated approach involving the contribution of various stakeholders, including parents, families, communities, and NGOs.
The MEC further highlighted the obstacles faced by school safety intervention programmes which undermined their success, including
social challenges brought into the school environment, territorial constraints upon what schools can do, as well as the lack of resources needed to improve the physical side of safety development, namely non- educational staff as well as the implementation of safety technology.
The Director of Psychosocial Support Services Anthony Meyers spoke about learner support systems while inputs from the NGO ChildLine Gauteng, the Teddy Bear Foundation and the SA Depression and Anxiety Group were heard, outlining school-based intervention programmes, early-stage interventions and mental health programmes.
Director of Clinical Services of the Teddy Bear Foundation, Shaheda Omar detailed the current condition of support within schools and said that 42% of children have been exposed to violence, with currently only 127 social workers across the province.
She further highlighted the contextual factors of mental health among learners and said a holistic approach was required. “Poverty doesn’t create abuse, but it does create the conditions under which abuse flourishes,” Omar said.
INSIDE EDUCATION
