Residents from Akasia, Montana and Pretoria North have welcomed the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDoE) community outreach programme, describing it as an important platform for addressing challenges affecting schools and learners.

The programme is called ‘It Takes a Village to Raise a Child Thuto-Pele, Education First’.

The initiative, led by GDoE MEC Lebogang Maile, was recently launched as a two-month campaign aimed at creating direct engagement between government, communities and education stakeholders.

The programme is being rolled out across 46 communities in all 15 school districts in the province.

One of the recent engagements took place at Laerskool Theresapark in Akasia, where community members gathered to discuss issues affecting education and the well-being of learners.

According to the GDoE, the programme focuses on key concerns such as learner safety, crime, vandalism, substance abuse and improving educational outcomes in public schools.

Maile said the campaign seeks to bring communities together to find practical solutions to challenges facing schools.

“Over the coming weeks, we will be embarking on the It Takes a Village to Raise a Child community engagements across the length and breadth of our province.

“We have scheduled 46 community meetings across all 15 districts so that we can engage with stakeholders in the education sector,” he said.

Maile explained that the engagements are designed to bring together parents, learners, teachers, school governing bodies (SGBs), churches, youth formations, and civic organisations.

“These engagements are aimed at strengthening collaboration between government, communities and local stakeholders to identify solutions, protect schools, and improve education outcomes in public schools across the province,” he said.

Parents who attended the engagement welcomed the opportunity to share their concerns directly with government representatives.

Nkosikhona Mnguni, a parent from Theresapark, said many families have been worried about the increasing safety challenges facing learners.

“It is encouraging to see government coming to the community and listening to our concerns.

“Issues such as bullying, drugs, and crime around schools affect our children every day. We need everyone to work together to create a safer environment for learners,” he said.

Benny Mofokeng from Pretoria North, said the programme could help strengthen relationships between schools and communities.

“Parents often feel disconnected from decisions affecting education. This initiative gives us a chance to be part of the conversation and contribute ideas that can help improve our schools. Education is everybody’s responsibility,” he said.

The programme is being led jointly by the GDoE and the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation.

The departments believe stronger partnerships between government and communities will help address challenges affecting schools and create better learning environments.

The education department has encouraged parents, youth groups, taxi operators, faith-based organisations, ward councillors, SGBs, sporting structures, and community forums to participate actively in the engagements.

Maile expressed confidence that collaborative efforts would make a positive impact.

“By thinking outside the box and combining the efforts, talents and skills of government with those of various stakeholders, I am confident that we can overcome the challenges facing our schools,” he said.

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