AGANANG Municipality, in partnership with the South African Police Services (SAPS), embarked on a school safety awareness campaign at Sekgopetjane High School in Kalkspruit village on Friday.
The awareness campaign comes after an assessment that was conducted by a road official who visited the school last Tuesday.
The inspection revealed that drug and alcohol abuse was a huge problem at the school, and the department of social development, Aganang Municipality and the SAPS decided to launch this campaign in answer to the problem.
The joint task force sprung a surprise visit on the school and searched the learners and their bags.
Const Elisa Shokane, SAPS safety awareness coordinator and spokesperson, spoke to the learners and explained the purpose of the campaign. She said the police had a duty to enforce the law.
“We want all learners to obey the law and school policies. We will deal with those who do not follow the rules,” she said.
Shokane said the task force would help the school to appoint a safety officer who will develop an incident register for the school. This safety officer would also be responsible for corrective measures where needed.
Alphios Ramalepe, education department representative said the school safety awareness campaign was meant to create a conductive environment for learning.
“Education is a societal issue that requires parents, schools and the community to work together to help learners to grow. We want to produce learners who are not thugs, but rather disciplined leaders.”
Sekgopetjane principal, Freddy Magagane said they appreciated the campaign. He said he hoped to motivate learners to improve the morale of the school.
