The DBE, along with UNESCO, will be hosting an International Day Against Violence and Bullying in Schools, including Cyberbullying engagement at the DBE Conference Centre Foyer in Pretoria, Gauteng Province, on 12 November 2025. Partners include the Departments of Social Development, Communications and Digital Technologies, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and Justice and Constitutional Development; the South African Police Service, Google and Agape Youth Movement.
During the event, a Research Paper on the Prevalence of Bullying in Schools will be presented by Dr Rubbi Nunan from UNISA, and the Draft Manual on Addressing Bullying in Schools will be discussed. In addition, the Institute for Security Studies will be delivering a presentation on Evidence-based Research.
UNESCO Member States declared the first Thursday of November as International Day against Violence and Bullying in Schools, including Cyberbullying, recognizing that school-related violence in all its forms is an infringement of children’s and adolescents’ rights to education and their well-being. This day calls on learners, parents, communities, and the entire education sector, to participate in preventing all forms of violence and fostering safe learning environments.
International Day Against Violence and Bullying in Schools, including Cyberbullying, was therefore observed on 6 November under the theme: Screen smart: Learning to be safe in the digital era. With the rapid digital and AI advances, learners are increasingly exposed to risks of online and technology-facilitated violence, including cyberbullying and technology-facilitated Gender-Based Violence beyond the classroom in the digital space.
The DBE continues to prioritise the safety and protection of both staff and learners across all schools. Several recent interventions have been implemented to strengthen collaboration, improve prevention, and ensure effective responses to incidents of violence, crime, and other safety risks in schools. The most recent interventions include the revision and re-signing of the Implementation Protocol between the SAPS and the DBE. The revised Protocol reaffirms the collaborative partnership between the two departments and introduces a joint workplan with measurable activities to ensure effective implementation at national, provincial, district and school levels.
The DBE has further advanced digital safety through the Online Safety Integrated Programme, under which educators and School Governing Body (SGB) members from schools in the North West, the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and the Free State provinces have been trained. The training, developed in collaboration with Google, equips educators to deliver online safety content effectively within the Life Orientation and Life Skills curricula. These initiatives complement the ongoing implementation of the National School Safety Framework (NSSF) and its associated protocols, which remain the core policy instrument guiding the prevention and management of violence, bullying and other safety-related incidents in schools.