The Minister of basic Education Siviwe Gwarube and the Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu on Tuesday, briefed the media at the Imbizo center in Cape Town about the signing and launch of the Safe Schools Protocol.
Due to the amount of violence
and sexual misconduct in and around schools the Western Cape Education
Department (WCED) with the help of the South African Police Service (SAPS)
addressed these issues and hopes to find a solution to ensure safety in schools
again. A document was drawn up for both ministers to sign.
COURTESY: X - @Siviwe_GMchunu says children spend of their time at school away from home and when something happens it is shocking as school is supposed to be a safe environment. Since the beginning of this year the WCED had to deal with a series of bullying across schools, stabbing incidents, shooting incidents and sexual violence not just among learners, but educators as well. This sparked outrage on social media platforms as parents, learners and even educators spoke about their encounters. The minister says this protocol serves as a part 1 of the measures to stop these incidents from occurring.
The minister said Governing bodies should be invited to ensure the success of the protocol. Mchunu would appreciate the support of communities as well. According the police minister statistics show there is an increase in violence involving children while attending school. The minister said a number of provinces are experiencing violence in schools the Western Cape are one of them.
Mchunu says parents should take responsibility of their children’s actions and ensure they are actually attending school to learn. He also said there must be peace in schools as it is a place of teaching and learning. The minister reiterated they are pledging support from police departments to be in contact with schools and principals to minimize harm in schools.
The minister of police and minister of education are planning on launching a GBV programme to minimize harm an create a safe space for children.
The minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube thanked all those present and stated that these plans and launch was something she and Senzo Mchunu have discussed for quite sometime. The protocol itself according to the minister was well thought through. The minister showed gratitude towards Mchunu for not making it just an educational problem, but for stepping in and taking action and involving himself including the policing department to minimize violence in schools. According to the minister 28 murders occurred in schools.
COURTESY: X - @Siviwe_GAs part of the programme the
minister has said that all schools are linked to local police stations as well
as several committees to reduce violence. School based crime prevention
programmes will be introduced to learners to ensure learners are aware violence
and abuse is prohibited.
The minister says this protocol is a shared responsibility as schools cannot do the work alone they need support from SAPS, communities, governing bodies, SGB’s and the department itself to ensure schools are a safe and reliable environment for both educators and learners. A quarterly report will done both SAPS and the DBE. An online guide will be made available to learners to educate them about cyberbullying.
In conclusion, the minister said they took into consideration the pleas of both educators and learners are ready to take a step forward in the right direction. Both Mchunu and Gwarube signed the document and are ensuring schools are safe.
Done by Shaneca Cupido
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