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The department acknowledges that school managers often face intimidation when attempting to search for drugs or weapons.
Picture: iStock
The Gauteng department of education has confirmed it has reduced reliance on private security services in schools, citing financial unsustainability.
This was revealed by the department during a briefing to the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries on Tuesday.
Financial strain forces downscaling
The department said while its patroller programme remains active, the private security guard initiative has been scaled down.
“The security guards programme has proven to be financially unsustainable and has been downscaled,” the department said in an update presented to the provincial legislature this week.
In its place, the department continues to deploy school patrollers and is finalising a memorandum of understanding with the department of community safety to include traffic wardens as part of safety efforts.
Most patrollers, recruited through Community Policing Forums (CPFs), have undergone screening by the South African Police Service (Saps).
“Though the screening process is slow, three-quarters of the cohort have been vetted and were further inducted by the Saps and CPFs,” the department noted.
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Anti-bullying policy shelved
The department also confirmed that implementation of its exemplar school anti-bullying policy has been delayed due to financial constraints.
While schools are encouraged to adopt their codes of conduct, the policy’s rollout and associated training workshops have not been activated.
“The exemplar policy is about to be mediated through training workshops, but could not be activated due to cost-cutting measures,” said the department.
However, advocacy campaigns against bullying continue through partnerships with Saps, the department of social development and non-governmental organisations.
Where bullying is reported, disciplinary action is taken.
“The perpetrators are held to account through disciplinary hearings resulting in expulsions,” the department said, stressing that the South African Schools Act empowers school governing bodies to take strong action.
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Weapons and drugs in schools remain a concern
The department acknowledged that school managers often face intimidation when attempting to search for drugs or weapons.
“Evidence from the ground indicates that many school managers undergo serious intimidation and are reluctant to enforce such responsibility,” the department said.
Nonetheless, schools are permitted to search pupils if there is reasonable suspicion, in collaboration with Saps and other partners.
The department continues to run awareness campaigns to discourage substance abuse and violence in schools.
“The department works in partnership with Saps through search and seizure and disciplinary processes to deal with pupils in conflict with the law,” it said.
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