Safety in school environment must be restored

16 October 2017 

The Select Committee on Education and Recreation condemns the acts of sexual assault against learners at schools in Gauteng and Limpopo provinces.

The schooling environment must at all times be a place of safety, where children are able to learn without hindrance. The alarming cases of sexual assault and rape against learners require immediate action. “The safety of the school environment must be reasserted to ensure that parents feel free to send their children to school and that learners are able to learn, because education is vital in fighting the triple scourges of poverty, inequality and unemployment,” said Ms Lungelwa Zwane, the Chairperson of the Committee.

The Committee reiterates its call for a societal re-commitment to fight all forms of violence in schools. The Committee further urges the Department of Education to strengthen verification procedures with the National Register for Sex Offenders to ensure that children are protected from known offenders. Furthermore, adults that are found to have committed these vile and criminal acts must be removed from the teaching profession and from the society of children.

“As a society we have failed our children and have exposed them to risks from which they must be protected. As a society, we need to find solutions to these problems that besiege the education sector,” Ms Zwane emphasised.

Issued by Malatswa Molepo, Parliamentary Communication Services, 16 October 2017