Programme director
Inkosi ZL Zondi
North West MEC for Education, Reverend OJ Tselapedi
Her Worship the Mayor Councillor WN Mbatha
Senior general managers
Dr Castiano-Mkhabela from the Office of the Status of Women
Officials from the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) present
Department officials present
Representatives from organised labour
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to start-off by saying the torch of peace initiative marks the beginning of 365 days of activism on violence against women, children and people living with disabilities. This is important to mention because we have always asserted that fighting abuse and violence against women, children and people living with disabilities should be a year round initiative, not something that is only confined to 16 days. The torch of peace is therefore a symbol of peace and declaring war against violence, especially in our schools.
Allow me also, ladies and gentlemen, to read for you some of our recent newspaper headlines regarding incidents of violence in our schools.
* On 19 February, The Mercury published: “Shotgun injures six at school”. This was a story about an incident in Temple Valley Secondary School where a learner brought a shotgun to school.
* Again on 19 February the Sowetan had a headline which read as a follows: “Pupil killed in school fight”. A grade 10 learner was stabbed to death by another learner inside school premises at Hlonono High School in KwaDukuza.
* That very same week, The Sowetan again reported: “The MEC reads the riot act this follows events when irate parents and pupils went on the rampage locked the school gates and vandalised the classrooms”.
These are some of the incidents that have recently been reported widely on in the media over the past few weeks. The sad and sobering truth is that violence and crime are becoming a common feature in schools in our province. For us, losing a life of a learner or that of an educator is one too many!
We need to find lasting remedies to fighting and halting crime and violence in our schools. Schools are not war-zones; they are there to provide a safe and secure environment for effective teaching and learning to take place. It would be irresponsible for us to turn a blind eye and pretend that crime does not exist in our schools.
Programme director; I am saying all this to unfortunately illustrate or to paint a rather challenging picture, that crime is a social ill that must be uprooted. Crime and violence are social evils that cannot be addressed by the Department of Education alone. We need partners to rally behind us to conquer this. It is for this reason that we have forged multi-partnerships with an assortment of stakeholders consisting of representatives from Education, Community Safety and Liaison, the South African Police Service and Transport.
It is essential that we share the same values at school, at home and in communities in which we reside. Ladies and gentlemen; I must note that we have had very successful search and seizure campaigns in schools conducted in conjunction with the SAPS. This goes to illustrate that crime is not a challenge that we can overcome alone. We need everyone’s support. We are constantly in the lookout for solutions and ways of tackling violence and all forms of abuse in our schools.
Hot spots
Programme director; as part of our school safety programme we have developed criteria to identify schools that we regard as hotspots. We characterise them by observing the following:
* the severity and re-occurrence of conflicts at each school, which threaten or disrupt the teaching and learning processes
* a complete breakdown in the governance and management of a school, which results in the school becoming declared dysfunctional
* the frequent intrusion by unruly and criminal elements
* physical vandalism which may lead to physical degradation
We are also going to pay close attention to schools in the vicinity of taverns, shebeens and drug traffickers. It is of paramount importance that we engage the community as our most important stakeholders. I say this because there have been a number of incidents where teaching and learning had been disrupted due to faction and political fights spilling over into schools. This does not only lead to the disruption in teaching and learning, but it places the lives of educators and learners in danger.
* Schools situated in areas where there are high levels of crime and violence (drugs, assault, rape, hooliganism, robbery, gangsterism, burglary, and thuggery which leads to dysfunction of the school).
The question that we should all be asking ourselves is: “what role will I play in creating safe and caring schools?” In other words; what is your contribution?
School safety committees
We have embarked on an extensive programme of setting up school safety committees. We are confident that these committees will go a long way towards solving some of the challenges highlighted above.
The committees will comprise of school governing body (SGB) members, educators or principal, learners, local councillor or ward committee member, a representative of youth organisations, representative of community police forum (CPF), a representative from South African Police Service, local businesses and all other relevant stakeholders.
We want the community to work with us and be part of this initiative. The core function of the safety committee will include:
* identifying elements that threaten safety in schools
* liaising with influential people in the community
* developing a school safety policy
* drafting a school safety plan
* commission random searches where there is reasonable suspicion of crime
* overseeing the implementation of the plan
* graphically charting the rise and decline in school based crime and violence
* forging partnerships with community structures
* holding school safety meetings
Schools have been encouraged to link up with safety and security services at their locality.
School safety projects
Hlayiseka Early Warning System
The Hlayiseka Early Warning System is built on the premise that school based crime and violence forms a barrier to effective learning and teaching. Addressing safety issues in schools will not only assist in gaining better understanding of this phenomenon but it will also enhance academic performance of learners enabling them to realise their full potential.
The Hlayiseka Early Warning System is a management tool that aims to assist schools and the Department of Education to identify record and respond to incidents of school based crime and violence.
Through Hlayiseka we will be able to recognise the existing capacity and resources within each school and prepares the schools to develop an intervention based on such capacity. Furthermore, it would enable schools to monitor and evaluate performance and impact over time. It also draws on existing policy and legislation and seeks to consolidate teaching and learning processes.
Girls and Boys Education Movement clubs
The purpose of this club is to create platforms of interaction for Girls and Boys Education Movement Club members through dialogues, seminars and camps competitions. Through these clubs the following have been achieved:
* Learners are able to identify the challenges that they are faced with as school communities and as individuals and devise strategies to deal with them.
* Issues like bullying ,crime, abuse of drugs, rape ,gender based violence ,sexual harassment are thoroughly discussed and
* Learners identify stakeholders or partners to work with in addressing those challenges
Ke Moja project (I’m Fine Without Drugs)
Ke Moja is a project run by the Department of Basic Education in conjunction with the Department of Social Development, the South African Police Services, the Department of Community Safety and Liaison as well as the Department of Correctional Services.
One cannot hide from the fact that teenagers in schools may experience, use or be exposed to illegal drugs and substances. There is no quick fix solution, but the agencies with whom the Department of Education works can help these young people who are in need of guidance. Parents can help through early education about, open communication, good role modelling and recognising the warning signs at an early stage.
Signposts for Safe Schools
The department and SAPS partnered in the development of resource materials to help schools fight crime with the support of other partners. This initiative promotes the inclusion of all those who believe in the vision of safe schools. This programme depends on the active participation of all members of the department. We need to take cognisance of:
* understanding the causes of violence and some ideas about possible intervention.
* dealing with sexual abuse and child abuse
* skills that build resilience and
* building healthy alternatives.
Random search and seizure and drug testing at schools
We have had very successful search and seizure campaigns and we have to commend the SAPS for their continued support in this regard. The government has consistently improved legislation to deal with school safety. The rationale for the amendment on the random search and seizure drug testing at schools took into consideration the following:
* the need for a balanced school discipline process
* promoting responsible behaviour amongst learners
* curbing the erosion of discipline and promote a culture of human rights in the classroom
* ensuring that learners understand that not only do they have certain rights but others have the same right
* equipping our teachers with alternative forms of discipline
* promotion of positive forms of punishment.
In 1999, the Schools Act was amended in this regard
Drug testing
The amendment on drug testing was aimed at:
* Strengthening the 2001 regulation for SAFETY MEASURES IN PUBLIC schools
* Creating legal certainty for schools that want to address these problems, thus displaying a greater need to fight drug abuse in schools, protecting all learners and all educators in schools and
* eliminating any ambiguity in the resolve to fight drug abuse by supporting schools to act while protecting the rights of learners
Through building solid partnerships with communities and all the relevant stakeholders, I have no doubt that we can make our schools safe havens and tranquil sanctuaries for effective teaching and learning to take place.
We receive this torch of peace from the MEC for Education in North West as a sign of further spreading the message of peace, safety and security in our own schools and their surrounding communities.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Education, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
11 March 2010
