20 October 2006
The murder of Simon Nkosana Mbhele by a fellow schoolboy at Forest High has
shocked the nation. Our heartfelt sympathy goes to his family and friends and
our fervent hope is that Forest High will be able to recover from the trauma
caused without allowing the scars to mark too deeply. I know that the
provincial education department has assisted the school, parents and pupils at
this difficult time.
When a rape or a murder takes place at school, it violates something deep
inside us. After the family, schools are the most important social institution
for our people. They influence the prospects of youth and shape their intellect
and future character. For these reasons schools should be safe places. If
schools can no longer be regarded as safe places, then as a community we have
failed our children. This is a failure to infuse appropriate social values and
attributes in those who make up our school communities.
We also know that in many of our schools the violence that we see in our
society has not made its presence felt. While addressing the problems where
they occur, we must also ensure that we do not allow the negative features of
some of our communities to gain entry to our schools. "We have to teach pupils
to revere life. You are not here to learn only mathematics; you have to learn
to be human beings first," said Mzwandile Matthews, who is charge of school
safety in the Department of Education, at the memorial service for Nkosana. And
he is right.
We all need to respond with vigour to deny violence a permanent place in
education. Listening to the outpouring of anger and frustration on talk radio
over the past two weeks, it has become clear to me that most principals and
parents do not know that a range of powers are available for schools to instil
discipline and appropriate behaviour in schools.
The first is a set of regulations on school safety that were passed back in
2001. These allow teachers and principals to randomly search pupils for
weapons. This power is enshrined in law. School principals are also permitted
to request a police or security official within the school to carry out such a
search. I wish to remind parents and principals of these regulations. Principal
after principal was heard to say that they were unsure as to whether random
searching of pupils for weapons is permissible. Yes it is. You have the power.
You can delegate the power to a police official or to a guard. But if violence
and intimidation make learning and teaching impossible in your school, then the
first thing to do is to use the powers you already have at your command.
By way of example, the following are three extracts from these
regulations:
* The regulations prohibit persons from carrying or storing dangerous
objects on school premises and from possessing illegal drugs on school
premises
* The regulations permit a police official, or in the absence of a police
official, the principal or the principal's delegate, without a warrant, to
search any person present on the school premises, and to seize any dangerous
object or illegal drug found on the school premises.
* There are Guidelines for schools to develop and adopt a Code of Conduct.
These Guidelines emphasise the obligation on the school to put in place
measures to ensure the safety of learners, staff and parents during school
activities.
It is thus quite clear that our regulations prohibit the presence of
dangerous objects and illegal drugs on public school premises. Possession of
weapons is a criminal offence. If principals or pupils see such weapons in
schools, they are under an obligation to report their presence to an officer of
the law.
Principals have the very important and sometimes difficult, task of leading
in this and must be able to rely on the support of parents and the community.
The role of teachers in the day to day work of education is no less important.
Many commentators refer to the importance of ensuring that the small things are
required to be done. These include ensuring that homework is done and
monitored, learners are neatly dressed, punctuality is observed, respect is
accorded to other learners in the classroom, the school is kept clean and
litter free etc. Though seemingly minor, all of these small aspects contribute
to the development of a disciplined and secure environment where learning can
and does happen. In such an environment of care and attention to duty, the
occurrence of any violent episodes is an aberration.
In some cases greater intervention is required by the Department of
Education, Particularly problematic schools that I referred to previously will
be acted upon in the next few weeks. We will be issuing simplified Guidelines
to schools to assist them in formulating an updated Code of Conduct. Schools
that continue to experience difficulties will be assisted by visits of
officials to these schools to ensure the establishment of a disciplined and
safe environment.
I am also considering amending the legislation for schools in so far as
discipline is concerned, in order to make provision for severely disruptive
children. In addition to guidance and support, schools should be allowed to
surrender really troublesome children into the care of their parents and or
guardians for a short period of time.
The schools would be obliged to ensure that the learners are provided with
learning material, but the behaviour of the children will be the responsibility
of the parent or guardian for that period. While ensuring that we protect the
right of these children to education, we cannot allow some learners to
completely disrupt the running of the schools and thereby disrupt the learning
opportunities of all other learners. Related to this is the consideration of
the establishment of Support Centres for particularly problematic learners.
These will need to be located at Districts that have particular challenges of
discipline.
We will continue to work closely with provinces in this regard to make
officials available to assist schools where necessary. A closer relationship
will be built with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to provide support
to schools. Steps towards establishing a framework for random testing for drugs
will be accelerated and we will request schools to inform us whether provinces
are acting on existing legislation as provided in the South Africa Schools Act.
We have been concerned at reports that officials sometimes take a long time to
respond to discipline matters at schools, even when schools have followed the
correct procedures as set out in the Schools Act.
Finally we will be working with School Governing Bodies (SGBs) to support
them in mounting programmes using trained Counsellors to provide the necessary
support to educators and parents in these matters. This will require closer
work with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and parents interested in being
trained as Trauma Counsellors.
The provinces have not been sitting on their hands in regard to school
safety. The Western Cape has dealt with the issue most proactively. The Western
Cape Department of Education (WCED) launched the safe-schools programme in
1997, partly in response to gang violence on the Cape Flats. The safe-schools
programme grew rapidly. Today about 850 schools, half of the 1 500 schools in
the Western Cape, participate actively in the programme. The safe-schools
programme has provided 100 schools with security infrastructure that includes
remote-controlled gates with CCTV cameras, intercom systems to direct
evacuations and safety drills and burglar bars.
The safe schools programme is about to be boosted significantly across all
provinces. The department is in the process of establishing a new model for
ensuring safe schools. The model had been piloted and implemented in three
provinces (Eastern Cape, Limpopo and the Western Cape). On the basis of
extensive research and these pilots, an "early warning system" will be built
into the teaching and learning fabric of those schools most at risk. I feel
certain that the implementation of this system in all the provinces will do
much to allay public fears over the spread of violence in our schools.
However, even these measures and the range of provision in the Regulations
relating to school safety and other provisions in the South African Schools
Act, the South African Council of Educators Act and so on, will only be
effective if all the affected parties are determined to ensure the safety of
our children at school, and on the way to and from school. This means that
parents, educators, learners, security personnel, the South African Police
Service and the community itself must demonstrate determination to use the
resources available in law and in regulations to protect our children. The
greatest support will have to come from parents and the community. Parents will
have to teach discipline at home, prevent their children from taking drugs and
weapons to schools and support teachers and schools when they have to
discipline the children who have got themselves into trouble.
I am certain that together we can ensure that schools are a safe and secure
place for all our children.
Enquiries:
Lunga Ngqengelele
Tel: (012) 312 5538
Cell: 082 566 0446
E-mail: ngqengelele.l@doe.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Education
20 October 2006
