There have already been a number of violent incidents at schools since the start of the 2023 academic year.
SCHOOLS are no longer safe havens for pupils and teachers, says the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), following incidents of bullying, suicide, stabbing and shooting at schools across the country.
This comes after a number of incidents in schools since the beginning of the 2023 school year.
These include one at Geluksdal Secondary School in Brakpan, where 18-year-old Grade 10 learner Shawn Mphele was allegedly stabbed to death by fellow learners.
At Kagiso Secondary School in the West Rand, a man allegedly entered the school and took hostage staff members. The man then allegedly stabbed and wounded one of the teachers and was subsequently shot dead by another teacher.
At Tlotlisong Secondary School in Ficksburg, Free State, a Grade 9 pupil allegedly poisoned himself and died. He was allegedly humiliated by teachers in front of other learners. Following the suicide, angry learners attacked teachers, damaging the school and police and teachers’ vehicles, accusing them of being the cause of the learner’s death.
At Sonyongwana High School in Creighton, KwaZulu-Natal, a 17-year old Grade 11 learner committed suicide allegedly because of bullying by her schoolmates, who constantly told her she was ugly and teased her about the shape of her head.
At Ntsu Secondary School in Bethlehem, Free State, the principal allegedly used corporal punishment on a learner who had apparently skipped detention.
Sadtu said the teachers’ union observed sexual assault and harassment of learners by those supposed to protect them – teachers – in a number of schools across the country.
“This group of unprofessional sex pests continues to damage the profession. It is only counter-revolutionaries who can engage in this kind of violence against our children in our schools,” the Sadtu secretariat said.
The teachers’ unions said these incidents clearly indicate that schools are no longer the safe havens they are supposed to be.
Sadtu added that when dealing with bullying issues, which have led to learners committing suicide, teachers were unable to act decisively because it was difficult to identify individual challenges among learners in overcrowded classrooms.
“Sadtu is calling for the creation of safe spaces for learners to confide in them about the issues they face. We again reiterate our call for dedicated psycho-social services in schools.
“Our schools do not have enough infrastructure to ensure learners, teachers and communities do not bring weapons to schools. We call for properly trained security personnel to oversee security in schools,” the Sadtu secretariat said.
“We condemn the use of corporal punishment by teachers; it is a violation of children’s rights and dignity, perpetuates violence and may lead to the learner being aggressive and anti-social. Over and above, Sadtu believes violence does not emanate from nor end in schools, but is a societal issue.”
The union therefore reiterated its call to all stakeholders in education, especially communities and parents, to be involved in schools in their neighbourhoods through its “I am A School Fan” campaign.
The campaign calls on stakeholders to make schools safe havens, stop violence against teachers and learners, stop vandalising schools, keep schools safe and clean and build a caring society.
“It’s our business as human beings in all spheres of life to protect everyone in our society, and schools must be havens of safety,” the union said.
