A school is a place of learning and teaching, but to some learners – schools are a place of abuse and bullying which leaves some learners with little desire to proceed with their academic education.
It is because of such challenge Dobsonville based Young Voice Academy (YOVA) partnered with the Dobsonville Police Station and local schools to launch Operation fasten your school shoes.
“We have realised that some learners indulge in drugs, others are subjected to rowdy and abusive. In most cases, tormenters are not wearing school uniform giving little disregard to the school’s code of ethics,” said YOVA senior field workers Zacharia Mosiane.
He said their research revealed that not all children who are not wearing school uniform are from an impoverished background.
Mosiane said some parents buy expensive clothing labels for their children to wear in schools while citing poverty as a major cause of them being unable to purchase school uniform, which is not true in some instances.
“Operation fasten your school shoes came about to bring back lost moral values and teach these learners responsibilities at their young age. Operation Fasten School Shoes is now in full swing since the reopening of schools in January in Dobsonville.
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“We will soon stretch the operation to neighbouring areas including Slovoville, Bramfischerville, Snake Park and Lufhereng,” said Mosiane.
They desire to escalate the operation to high schools where a culture of disobedience is at an alarming rate in the near future.
Mosiane said they are targeting troublesome schools and learners.
“We couch troublesome learners and bullies on how they should behave especially within school premises. We are sending a clear message to learners that fastening their school shoes at the primary school level will pave the way for them to complete school at a record time. Insubordination and bullying is a shortcut leading them at the doorstep of prison,” warned Mosiane.
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He urged local schools’ principals to open their gates and welcome YOVA’s members in their endeavour to change the mindset of learners and help to transform schools to real institutions of learning and teaching, not centres of bullying and gangsterism.
Dobsonville Police Station Social Crime Prevention constable Mbali Ntobongo said the objective of the campaign is to reduce crime, harassment and gangsterism in school premises.
“We establish a protection group in all schools we have adopted, which representatives consist of a problematic learner, youth desk, police officer, YOVA and School Governing Body (SGB),” said constable Ntobongo.
She said the difficult learners are being coached to be defenders of the victims who are constantly being bullied at school. Constable Ntobongo said such intervention help to transform a tormenter to be a protector of the victim learner.
