Teacher unions and education experts have condemned violence in schools and warned that it has now reached “alarming proportions”.
South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said that the fact that a teacher was shot dead in the school precinct is a clear indication that violence in schools is becoming endemic.
“After realising the increase in the scourge of violence at schools and the negative impact it was having on education, Sadtu in its ninth congress in 2019, launched the, I am a school fan campaign with the objective to raise awareness about violence in schools. And come up with partnerships that will allow us to formulate tangible solutions that will eradicate violence in schools and address the issues that could threaten the future of children in South Africa. We felt that the solution lies with all stakeholders in education coming together to rally behind their schools.
“The stakeholders include the government, educators, parents, churches, business, NGO’s, youth and student organisations, learners, police and the community at large. The objective is to raise awareness about the violence in schools.
“However, over the long-term we want to ensure that through this partnership we are able to formulate tangible solutions that will eradicate violence in schools and address the issues that could threaten the future of children in South Africa. This, however, will require participation from all stakeholders; government, educators, parents and the community at large,” said Cembi.
Education activist Hendrick Makaneta said the level of ill discipline among pupils is beyond reproach. He said the situation is so bad that many of our teachers have given up on instilling discipline properly.
Makaneta said this situation can be best addressed by all education stakeholders in order to keep the schools safe. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem of school violence. The Department of Basic Education alone will not be able to resolve the challenges of school violence.
“Society as a whole needs to be actively involved. We need to teach values such as ubuntu and resilience,” he said.
“Resilience is not a skill but it should be regarded as a social disposition which must be developed from as early as Grade RR. The reality is that the government has put more emphasis on the rights of citizens but little has been done to teach responsibility. We have a society that believes in free housing, free grants, free education and free water. This belief system negates the very fundamental value of resilience. At school level we need to teach learners in such a way that they will not be lazy to think of solving problems for themselves,” said Makaneta.
Sunday Independent