Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Lebogang Maile
JOHANNESBURG - Education MEC Lebogang Maile has said the violence problem is linked to wider community issues
Maile said the department is rolling out new measures to boost school safety across the province.
“The Gauteng Department of Education has implemented a range of interventions aimed at improving school safety and creating secure learning environments.
“Following the identification of 245 high-risk schools through the department's environmental scan, targeted interventions were introduced to support schools facing elevated safety risk.
“As part of these interventions, private security services were initially deployed to 75 schools and later expanded to 121 schools identified as requiring additional protection and support.
“While the intervention contributed to improving security at identified schools, it was subsequently discontinued due to funding constraints."
Maile said the department has recorded more than four thousand incidents of violence and vandalism in schools over the past five years.
The increasing wave of violence has sparked safety concerns.
"Over the last five years, the department has recorded incidents across selected categories in schools. These categories were identified based on the frequency with which they occur and their impact on teaching and learning.
“The data reveals persistent school safety challenges across Gauteng. Over this period, schools reported more than 4,100 incidents of vandalism and more than 4,600 incidents of violence.
“The department also recorded close to 400 incidents of sexual misconduct and nearly 1,400 search and seizure cases.
“While the number of incidents has fluctuated over the years, the overall trend demonstrates that violence, vandalism, substance-related incidents, and learner misconduct remain significant challenges that require continued collaboration between schools, parents, communities, and law enforcement agencies. These numbers are a concern as they indicate that schools are under threat."