The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) MEC Matome Chiloane has launched Operation Kgutla Molao, a school safety programme.
“We have developed Operation Kgutla Molao to safeguard the well-being and future of learners with 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 the way to focus on providing effective learning and teaching at schools across the province,” said Chiloane.
It comes after the department noted with concern the frequent occurrence of incidents involving stabbing, violence and gangsterism in and around schools in the province. As such, the operation has been developed to address some of these issues and ensure that the majority of schools are relatively stable, peaceful and disruption-free.
The department stated this effect and said that even though the reported incidents take place in only a few Gauteng schools, they are no less concerning.
“Violence, sexual harassment, bullying and the carrying of weapons and illegal substances are acts that are unwelcome at our schools and should be widely condemned even beyond our institutions. A stable and peaceful environment is essential to effective learning and teaching. Incidents of violence and other crimes disrupt learning and teaching, leaving victims emotionally or physically hurt, families traumatised, and in some instances, takes lives,” the statement read.
Operation Kgutla Molao will address these incidents by taking some of the following actions:
• 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 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 behaviour, as well as the implementation of corrective action
• Regular reporting of threats and incidents to law enforcement agencies, especially the SAPS
• Meeting with community stakeholders on issues of school safety and protests that also disrupt learning and education
Beyond these reactive measures, Operation Kgutla Molao will follow a safe school strategy with the following pillars:
• A national school safety policy that is standardised. Safety committees are also currently being trained in addition to the implementation of the standardised school safety policy
• Advance psycho-social support and promotion of alternative forms of discipline
• Advocacy programmes against the acts and behaviour are in development and will be conducted in the first quarter of 2023/ 24
• Active law enforcement partnerships with the SAPS, Metro Police, CPFs and community patrollers. Education has a priority committee where all four metros, SAPS as well as CPF form part of. The meeting sits once a month to engage in incidents that affect schools
• Effectively securing the physical environment of schools. Safety committees are currently being trained on doing audits of risks at their schools
• Proactive steps emanating from the school safety strategy have also been implemented. Search and seizure operations are done at identified high-risk schools. Parolees address learners at these schools to educate them on the dangers of crime and gangsterism. Our Adopt-a-Cop programme is continuing at schools
Accordingly, further actions that are also being implemented or are in the pipeline include:
• 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 an e-panic button.
Meanwhile, the department implemented a holiday school safety pilot programme in December 2022 and it seems to have 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. The call centre was linked to the police and emergency services.
According to the GDE, it is thus eternally grateful for the role played by the police in quelling incidents of violence, arresting perpetrators and conducting raids in schools to search for weapons and illegal substances.
MEC Chiloane is calling on everyone to play their part and urges parents to also play an active role to ensure discipline and regularly check on their children to determine if they are not involved in illegal activities.
