Following the high incidents of stabbing, violence and gangsterism in and around schools in the province, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has launched a school safety programme called "Operation Kgutla Molao".
Addressing learners at the Qalabotjha Secondary School in Vlakfontein on Thursday, the MEC said the school safety programme is aimed at protecting learners and safeguarding their future.
“We are here to ensure that we are going to protect your future with you. Today we are launching a school safety programme that we will be running across our schools in the province,” he said.
Operation Kgutla Molao has been developed to ensure that the majority of schools are relatively stable, peaceful and disruption-free.
The department considers school safety a top priority in education, said the MEC.
“It’s painful when learners fight among themselves when they are supposed to be protecting each other because the future out there will require you to work together and live together.
“The school safety programme that we are launching will encompass a number of set interventions. Among them are random search and seizures in these schools. This will be done randomly and regularly,” Chiloane said.
The MEC said the Gauteng Department of Education will continue to work closely with communities, other government departments such as the Gauteng Department of Community Safety and law enforcement agencies.
Parents have been urged to play an active role to ensure discipline and regularly check on their children to determine if they are not involved in illegal activities.
“We have developed Operation Kgutla Molao to safeguard the wellbeing and future of learners from destructive behaviour and social ills.
"With integrated support from various law enforcement and community safety structures, we will be able to diminish acts of misconduct and pave way to focus on providing effective learning and teaching at schools across the province,” Chiloane said.
Operation Kgutla Molao aims to create safer schools by promoting social cohesion through non-violence and focusing on delivering effective learning and teaching.
It will target 1700 Gauteng schools, including 275 schools classified as high-risk.
Under Operation Kgutla Molao, the following actions will take place:
- Suspension of learners involved in violence and/or sexual harassment. Learners will face disciplinary action by the school and those who are apprehended by the police will face trial.
- Disciplinary action will be taken against educators and non-education staff alleged to be involved in sexual harassment and/or violence and also face trial.
- Swift intervention by the MEC and GDE officials to understand the causes of this behavior, as well as the implementation of corrective action.
- Regular reporting of threats and incidents to law enforcement agencies, especially the South African Police Services.
- Meeting with community stakeholders on issues of school safety and protests that also disrupt learning and education.
The campaign will also see the deployment of 5 000 patrollers to schools in the townships in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Community Safety and Community Policing Forum.
A new cohort of patrollers will be deployed to assist with access control and will be provided with E-Panic buttons.
A holiday school safety pilot programme was implemented in December 2022 and has reduced burglaries at some identified schools.
The programme included regular patrol by professional guards and community awareness campaigns to report incidents to a call centre linked to the police and emergency services. – SAnews.gov.za
