WHILE the Department of Basic Education says it is extremely concerned about the violence in and around schools, it has rejected the call for teachers to be armed with guns.
This follows reports that the Educators’ Union of South Africa (EUSA) had called for teachers to be allowed to carry guns at school in order to protect themselves.
The department however labelled this ‘reckless and dangerous’ saying it can only escalate the violence that is already causing huge distress among teachers and learners.
‘The violence has left both learners and educators deceased, others injured, and perpetrators facing lengthy jail terms.
‘The majority of cases we observed indicate that unresolved issues led to the violent attacks.
Furthermore, the attacks have widely occurred outside school premises.
‘We have also observed the rise in gang-related activity involving learners and violent incidents ending in unnecessary loss of life.
‘The Department is very concerned that the violence has increasingly spilled into schools, causing untold emotional trauma and disruption to the learning and teaching environment,’ the department said.
Basic education said there are however measures that have been put in place to deal with bullying and other forms of violence in schools.
These include the long-standing protocol agreement with the South African Police Service.
‘The agreement entails the police conducting random visits to educate learners about the dangers of crime and violence, starting with bullying.
‘The police are also expected to conduct unannounced search and seizure operations in schools. In many such procedures, police confiscated weapons and drugs found in possession of learners.
‘Disciplinary action is immediately taken against offending learners and the parents are called in.’
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