Pandor MP Minister of Education
29 July 2006
Mr Kenny Fihla, MEC Tsopo, MEC Makgoe, education officials, parents and
learners
I would like to begin by thanking you all for actively taking steps to
respond to the challenge of safety in our schools. This is an important
initiative given the current concerns about safety in schools and the various
very worrying reports about incidents of violence, crime and ill discipline in
some of our schools.
It is necessary to stress that while the reports we see each week are
worrying, many of our schools are safe places where a positive environment for
learning has been created and supported by teachers, learners and parents.
Today, we must convey a clear message and set of directives to all in our
education system:
* fear and intimidation have no place in our schools
* schools are places of learning and learning cannot take place if learners and
teachers work in conditions of violence and imminent threat
* each one of us can play a role in curbing negative conduct and making schools
safe.
All of us know today that hundreds of our schools have not escaped the
scourge of crime and violence that is a scar on the face of many of our
communities. The violence that is seen in our society has now made its presence
felt in our schools. We all need to respond with vigour to deny violence a
permanent place in education.
Education authorities cannot and will not allow crime to become embedded in
education. I am sure that all of you present here to day would agree that that
we must use all our energies to confront this challenge. South Africans fought
hard for freedom, one of the benefits of democracy is the right to education. A
child who is maimed or killed cannot fully benefit from that benefit nor can a
teacher who is assaulted or abused.
We must not allow the negative features of some of our communities to gain
entry to our schools. Schools are the second most important social institution
for your people. They influence the life chances of youth and shape their
intellect and future character. Your initiative is thus hugely important in
that it serves as firm recognition of the role those schools play. It is your
confirmation that you want to give young people a chance at success.
The co-operative approach you have adopted is extremely important. Every
member of the community in and outside school should support the creation of
safe school environments. When we celebrated the first joy of freedom in 1994
we recognised this significant role of schools.
The first Education White Paper of 1995 said the following about the role
that education should play in teaching our children our democratic values of
equality, dignity and respect: âEducation system must counter the legacy of
violence by providing the values underlining the democratic process and the
charter of fundamental rights, the importance of due process of law and the
exercise of civic responsibility and by teaching values and skills for conflict
management and conflict resolution, the importance of mediation and the
benefits of tolerance and cooperation. Thus, peace and stability will become
the normal condition of our schools and colleagues and citizens will be
empowered to participate confidently and constructively in social and civic
lie.â
Reports that we receive indicate that negative threats to schools come in a
range of guises. Firstly, within the school there are teachers and learners who
carry weapons, threaten others and generally render schools places of
insecurity not places of learning. Secondly, due to poor promotion of the
skills of conflict resolution for learners, they do not always know how to
solve quarrels without resorting to violence. Quarrels that begin in school end
up as murder or attempted murder outside the school, college or university
gates. As I stated earlier the schools where these things happen are a mirror
of our society, as you know many of the murders in South Africa occur within
social settings between people who know each other or are acquainted. We all
must ask ourselves why we have allowed such negative conduct to infect or
society and our schools.
Thirdly, it seems gangsters, thieves and drug peddlers have made schools their
base of operation. During the day gang members loiter at school fences to sell
drugs and alcohol to our learners.
Our Community Police Forums must patrol our schools perimeters and keep
criminal elements away from our learners. In some communities gangs carry their
fights into schools and injure children and teachers. Again parents, the police
and the community must collaborate to eliminate such incidents. A clear message
must go out as it does today that schools are safe places, places where the
future of South Africa is built places where we will not countenance
interference with that future.
Our teachers are a core part of the response that must come from within
education. In most communities teachers are the leading part of the community.
They can and should define the character of the community. If teachers become
leading agents of change in meeting the objective we are here to agree on their
attitude and contribution will serve as a massive catalyst for change.
We must not allow the recent report of the Centre for Justice and Crime
Prevention shape our schools. It found worrying and rising levels of youth
crime.
The Education Department has begun to intensify its programmes against
violence and unsafe schools. The Department of Education (DOE) and the
Department of Safety and Security have developed a resource manual âSignpost
for Safer Schoolsâ which is intended to assist teachers in preventing and
managing negative conduct in schools. The manual encourages the creation of
school safety committees, which work closely with the police services. Schools
are encouraged to adopt a cop and to invite police personnel to assist schools
in creating safe environments.
Further steps include the partnership with the United Nations Office on
drugs and crime, the training of implementing agents in all the provinces who
will support the implementation of the Policy Framework and Guidelines for the
Prevention and Management of Drug Use/Abuse in Schools.
In partnership with the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention systems of
early detection and prevention have been developed. Three provinces have
piloted this approach (Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Western Cape) and we intend to
build on their experience in order to maximally achieve safety in schools.
We have agreed on a set of measures as the various education departments.
Provincial authorities are giving increased attention to all schools that have
a safety problem. A school safety framework is being finalised. We are
conducting an audit of schools that have incidents of violence and crime.
Furthermore we are identifying potential partners within and beyond local
communities. Business Against Crime has once again been very supportive of the
education departments.
The partnership we launch today will benefit all stakeholders in our
schools. I trust that all parents, learners, teachers and community members
will support this important initiative and assist our schools in the Free State
into becoming centres where learning is strengthened and not places where young
lives are destroyed. I would like to conclude by thanking Business Against
Crime for the exemplary role they have played in the fight against crime in our
crime I am sure their partnership with education will support in creating safer
schools in South Africa.
Issued by: Department of Education
29 July 2006
