SEDIBENG. – Both the teachers and learners around Lekoa Shandu, Thuto Lore and Mohloli Secondary Schools in Sharpeville can now start feeling a little bit safer.

This follows an initiative that was started by Biblos Lebona, a community leader, and parents, since the opening of schools last week.

The group of parents patrol the schools making sure that teaching and learning takes place without any hinderance.

Lebona said that he came up with the idea seeing that there had been groups/gangs at schools that threaten and attack other school children, thereby bullying and installing fear in them, disturbing their learning.

The group (of parents) patrols the schools, in the morning and in the afternoon, making sure that order exists.

“We have ill-disciplined children who are disrespectful and we would like to tell parents out there to please talk to their children and to tell them that they need to respect other children, and the teachers at large. If not, we are going to deal with them, making sure that those who want to learn are not disturbed.”

In the past, the learners from the schools would mostly go to the circle next to George Thabe Stadium and the Sharpeville Hall after school and engage in illicit activities, and sometimes ending up fighting each other. Lebona hopes that this will be a thing of the past, he is asking for more support from other parents who have not joined them yet to come onboard.

“We are maintaining law and order, these are our children and we can not let things get out of hand. Some of them go to school with knives, pangas, and drugs. We are busy with them, that is going to come to an end,” a parent amongst the group said.

Lebona pleads with members of the community to show the group support in any form (cash for food, water etc) for more details on the campaign call him on  065 735 0923.