Stricter rules set to govern Gauteng schools
JOBURG - Newly appointed Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi is devising a strategy to ensure that schools are restored to governable and safe environments.
This was in response to the growing levels of physical and sexual assault and unfitting behaviour noted in schools throughout the province.
“I’m unleashing what I believe will be a plan to stop all these things… It’s co-ordinated, coherent; it’s something that will ensure that our schooling environment remains what it is; a schooling environment… no other things,” he said.
Lesufi said he was concerned by the alarming incidents that have emerged at schools.
“We can’t allow these things to continue… there are wrong things that are happening in our schools… we can’t continue to have activities that are not related to education happening in our schools.”
Lesufi has been in consultation with teacher unions, parent organisations and other stakeholders about plans to deal with school functionality and governance.
He said the strategy would address pupils not adhering to school uniforms, pornography, social media and how pupils should behave on social sites.
The strategy will also include collaborations with law enforcement agencies, and see the development of a social network team that will scout social networks.
He was also in discussion with cellular service providers about allocating a dedicated number that pupils could use in a time of crisis. “If your child feels threatened that number will be dialled and it will come to our call centre.”
These measures come about after a number of unsavoury incidents have occurred at schools in the past few weeks.
An Edenvale teacher was accused of exposing his pupils to pornography. It was understood that a Life Orientation teacher at Edenglen High School was watching porn on his laptop when the images flashed on the classroom’s projector.
In another incident, a Grade 2 pupil at Vosloorus Primary School in Ekurhuleni claimed that in February her teacher beat her with a ruler several times before throwing a hard-cover exercise book in her face.
In the most recent incident, the department was investigating allegations that teachers at Jordao College in Towerby forced female pupils to remove their underwear for inspection after a used condom was found in the school toilet.
