‘Violence doesn’t belong in schools’
Reports of violence in schools has increasingly surfaced over the last few weeks. Review spoke to two young teachers at the opposite ends of the spectrum, to get their opinions on the occurrence of violence in their profession.
POLOKWANE – Success Chauke, a student teacher, said his experience at schools where he has done practicals, has not been bad at all.
“Misconduct is to be expected from learners, it is just the way it is. Not every learner is well behaved and not everyone behaves badly,” he said.
He says regardless of the videos that are circulating on social media, he has not changed his mind about changing professions.
Musa Mpangane said that he has made a decision to teach at a special school rather than teach at a mainstream school.
“Children are ill mannered and society views them as the victims.”
He said in view of this, it has crossed his mind to change professions: “People need to know how we feel. It is important to feel safe in your work environment.”
Sam Makondo, Spokesperson for the Department of Education urged aspiring teachers not to be deterred by the violence that is being displayed all over social media.
“Teaching is a noble profession and there are lots of teachers who enjoy what they do. While we acknowledge social ills that exist at the moment, the ills are societal and various stakeholders need to come together to combat the problem. People need to be part of the solution as good behaviour is not learned at school, it starts at home. Don’t be deterred by a few rotten potatoes, we have good learners that are well behaved and willing to be shown the way.”
