As a way to enhance safety and security in schools, the MEC for education, Cathy Dlamini, hosted a stakeholder engagement meeting at Khetsalwati Secondary School in the White Hazy circuit on Friday.

The meeting brought together officials of the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, school governing bodies and civic organisations. Religious institutions, school principals and the representative council of learners were there and the Democratic Teachers’ Union also sent leading members.

The delegates expressed their concern over the increase in crime affecting learning environments. Schools in the area have become targets of theft, burglary and vandalism. The teachers and learners had been robbed of their personal belongings, disrupting teaching and learning.

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It was unanimously agreed that a multifaceted approach is urgently needed to combat these challenges. This would include, but is not limited to, increasing police visibility, utilising technology to prevent crime and encouraging incident reporting. Regular patrols in and around school premises and the strengthening of partnerships with community policing forums and armed response units are also called for.

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To support these efforts, the Department of Education allocated R30 000 to each provincial school to enhance security.

The schools were urged to be innovative and to work together in intensifying safety measures.
In her closing remarks, Dlamini strongly discouraged the use of corporal punishment, bullying and weapon trafficking. She said inappropriate teacher-learner relationships, sexual assault and rape do not reflect the values of the ‘Place of the Rising Sun’.

Discussions during the engagement also touched on other educational issues including the shortage of computer laboratories, disciplinary concerns, budget constraints and special education needs. Teacher disengagement, overcrowding and lack of secondary schools, were also placed under the spotlight with attention given to the matter of undocumented learners, the absence of proper administration blocks and fencing at some schools.