Education is an important tool for the development of an individual, society and the nation as a whole.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides that “everyone has the right to a basic education, including adult basic education”. Yet, 20 years after the attainment of democracy in the Republic there are still challenges affecting the basic education system including the abuse of learners through corporal punishment and lack of access of textbooks in schools.
It is for this reason that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) plans to host a conference on corporal punishment and also launch a report following an investigation by the SAHRC into the non delivery of textbooks in the country.
Corporal Punishment
Following the recent incidents of corporal punishment in schools reported both to the SAHRC and in the media, the Commission has decided to host a conference themed “Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools”, which aims to sensitize role-players, including teachers, to the nature and dire scope of the current situation.
The two-day conference, which will bring together academics, teachers, government officials, experts, NGOs and parents, also seeks to understand the role of each stakeholder in implementing the dictates of the law sanctioning corporal punishment in schools, and to unpack the challenges to the implementation of the law.
The SAHRC also seeks to explore ways to make schools safer and more child friendly through curbing the practice of corporal punishment as a form of discipline, and to derive a meaningful, just and equitable way forward for the children of South Africa and to establish a means through which the Commission can monitor the situation going forward.
The conference which is open to the media will be held as follows:
Date: 29 and 30 May 2014
Venue: Astrotech Conference Centre, Killarney, Johannesburg
Time: 9h00 to 16h00
Ministers of Basic Education, and Women, Children and People with Disabilities, and MECs for Education have been invited to the Conference.
The SAHRC hopes that this Conference will produce outcomes that will contribute to the improvement of school life for children across the country, allowing them to access the right to basic education without fear or exposure to inhumane treatment through corporal punishment.
NB: A Press Conference to launch the TEXTBOOKS REPORT will be held on the first day of the conference on Corporal Punishment on 29 May, Time: 10h30 to 11h00
For more details or to RSVP please contact:
Alucia Sekgathume
Tel: 011 877 3627
Cell: 082 689 2364
E-mail: asekgathume@sahrc.org.za
