“The spate of violence in South African schools have urged the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) to explore ways to enhance school safety across all nine provinces,” said Basic Education Minister, Mrs Angie Motshekga, during a media briefing held at the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in Pretoria on 17 September 2018.

Minister Motshekga hosted a media briefing to inform the nation on the developments in the Education Sector, including the state of readiness for the upcoming National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations; the Second Chance Matric Programme; the introduction of Kiswahili as an optional language for learners; the rolling out of Marine Sciences as an addition to the curriculum; and an initiative with the Department of Home Affairs to ensure that learners are correctly documented.

Parents are key education stakeholders who can assist the Sector to deal with social ills manifesting within the learning environment. The Minister appealed to parents to be more involved in the lives of their children and encourage them to stay away from any criminal activity.

In strengthening school safety, the CEM was in agreement that the Sector will need to collaborate with organised labour, school communities, law enforcement organisations and the Department of Social Development to prioritise learner safety.

In her statement, Minister Motshekga indicated that more than 18,000 schools have been paired with police stations as part of a protocol between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the DBE. “However, we need to ramp up activities between the two entities to ensure greater success. Schools operate within communities, and are often a reflection of the community and the social ills that are found within these communities. We need support from all education partners,” said Minister Motshekga.

In reaction to the recent abductions, which took place in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, Minister Motshekga said: “Parents need to be vigilant when dropping off and fetching learners to and from schools. It was reported that there had been three confirmed abductions in the Western Cape Province - all of whom were found and returned to their families. Another unfortunate abduction resulted in the death of a learner. There have also been an additional 16 reports of attempted abductions in the Western Cape Province. In addition to the above, there was also the highly publicised and tragic incident regarding the abduction and murder of Miguel Louw in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The DBE will be hosting a symposium with SAPS and parents to explore ways to work together to ensure learner safety”.

Click on the below link for the full statement:

https://www.education.gov.za/Newsroom/MediaReleases/tabid/347/ctl/Details/mid/7002/ItemID/5900/Default.aspx