Question NW418 to the Minister of Basic Education
15 April 2024 - NW418
Van Zyl, Ms A M to ask the Minister of Basic Education
In light of the seven murders, 24 attempted murders and 252 cases of assault with intent of grievous bodily harm committed on educational premises between October 2023 and December 2023, and given that 38 learners between Grades 1 and 12, six learners with special educational needs and six day and aftercare children were raped in the same period, what are the full details of her department’s plan to ensure the safety of staff and learners at educational facilities across the Republic?
Reply:
1.National School Safety Framework
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Provincial Education Departments continue to implement the National School Safety Framework (NSSF), which is a guiding framework in addressing all forms of violent incidences in schools including drug abuse. The NSSF empowers schools to identify and manage all safety threats in schools, establish school safety committees comprising of stakeholders such as teachers, police officers, school governing body members and learner representative council members. Furthermore, The NSSF also empowers schools to develop incident reporting mechanisms, establish collaborations with external stakeholders such as the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Department of Social Development and civil society organisations, develop school safety plans and policies to respond to safety challenges of violence in schools for both learners and educators. Through the implementation of the NSSF, access control measures in schools are strengthened and awareness programmes on social ills by partner departments and civil society organisations are implemented in schools.
2. Partnership Protocol between the Department of Basic Education and the South African Police Service
The Department also has an established Protocol with SAPS to address crime and violence in schools. The Protocol has enabled all schools to be linked to their local police stations, SAPS to conduct searches and seizures in schools and conduct crime awareness campaigns in schools. Regularly, schools work with SAPS and local community police forums and social workers to address violent incidents such as gangsterism, bullying, drug abuse and the carrying of dangerous weapons in schools. Searches and seizures of illegal drugs and dangerous weapons are also done in schools. SAPS identifies hot-spot areas and inform the provincial Education Departments of such areas, this enables the department to procure metal detectors for schools in those areas.
3. Life Orientation Curriculum
The Department continues to implement the Life Skills and Life Orientation curriculum in classrooms, which is the main lever for preventing violence in schools amongst learners. The DBE implements this Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement annually and it covers the following violence related topics: bullying, drugs and substance abuse, gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy prevention.
4. Protocol For the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools.
The Department developed a Protocol for the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in schools which provides schools, districts and provinces with standard operating procedures/guidelines when addressing allegations of sexual abuse and harassment, and to specifically detail how schools must respond to reports of sexual abuse and harassment perpetrated against learners and school staff. It serves to ensure a safe, caring and enabling environment for learning and teaching, both inside and outside of the classroom. This protocol sets out an approach that enables educators and employees of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to identify, intervene, report and provide support to all learners who are sexually abused or harassed in school, whilst providing an appropriate response to perpetrators of all forms of sexual abuse and harassment. It has been printed, distributed and mediated in the sector.