Basic Education Department briefs Portfolio Committee on school safety
10 September 2019
School safety came under the spotlight in Parliament today in a joint sitting of the portfolio committees of Basic Education and the Police. Members of Parliament from the two committees convened the meeting to get reports on measures being taken to address the safety of learners and teachers in schools.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga today led a delegation of senior managers to the joint sitting of Basic Education and SAPS to deliberate on the issue of violence in schools.
The Minister said school violence was a matter of huge concern to the education system, as it had a negative impact on the work of the Department. “Bullying remains a major challenge, as it most often occurred in the classroom, generally in the absence of a teacher. The rate of bullying is high in terms of international standards and poorly managed schools tend to have more incidents of violence. Studies have shown that where communities take ownership of their schools, the rate of violence is low. School violence most often occurs on school premises, but it also takes place on the way to and from schools. Bullying is increasingly taking place online and with the use of mobile devices,” she said.
Dr Granville Whittle, the Deputy Director-General at the Department of Basic Education, said the National School Safety Framework remained our primary strategic response to school violence. He said the framework was a comprehensive approach that coordinated and consolidated all school safety interventions in the sector. “It is based on a social ecological systems model, which locates the school within its broader community; it relies on collaboration and partnership. South Africa joined the Safe to Learn global campaign to end violence in schools, in partnership with UNESCO and UNICEF,” he said. The legislative and policy environment is comprehensive and rights based.