The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Basic Education has acknowledged that it does not have the budget to have security guards stationed at every public school in the province.
The admission was made by the KZN Education Department head, Nkosinathi Mchunu, at a press briefing to discuss the murder of a Grade R teacher at Phikiswayo Primary School in Ntuzuma, north of Durban, on Tuesday.
“The budget of the department goes to teaching and learning, we do not have the budget for securing, but we do have to provide for security to an extent that we can,” Mchunu said.
“When you have a limited budget, you find yourself unable to provide security guards in every school.
“Even if you do that, there will be a demand to increase the number of security guards.
“There are demands that security guards must be provided for night shift, for example, which we agree with but we cannot afford. There are demands that they must be provided guns, that we disagree with, because we do not want to have children come into a war zone.”
Mchunu outlined their department’s School Safety Strategy, saying it rests on four key pillars: fencing around the school premises, police involvement, community engagement and enhanced security measures.
Mchunu also emphasised the need for a dedicated budget to address security concerns effectively.
Vee Gani from the KwaZulu-Natal Parents’ Association, emphasised the importance of having at least one security guard at schools.
“We have been saying for years that the Department of Education, through the national government, should provide at least one security guard in a school. If you go into any government institution, like Home Affairs, hospitals, clinics, and police stations, you find security guards. Why are we not making it a prerogative to have a security guard at least one in every school?” asked Gani.
The death of Dudu Khumalo, 46, who was shot and killed on the premises of her school, and the robbery of teachers at Mukelani Primary School in KwaMashu, are among the instances of criminal activity that have been reported recently.
Gani also stressed the importance of community involvement in supporting local schools.
“The local communities must be involved, because these schools are in their communities and the community children attend these schools. As the community, you have an obligation to support the institutions that are there.
“If we have communities that are actively involved in schools, you will find that acts of crime and intimidation that are happening in our schools will certainly diminish. It may not be a cure, but if people know that schools are being monitored, the community is actively involved and providing support to the schools, then you would find that these incidents will be less frequent,” said Gani.
He also highlighted the significance of schools collaborating with local law enforcement.
“We need more police visibility around schools. It is not happening and it should happen, especially now that these incidents are happening regularly. The only time schools request law enforcement is when something has happened.”
Responding to the recent acts of violence in schools, Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka announced a School Safety Conference, which he said will involve all relevant stakeholders, to “sensitise learners, educators, parents and the community on the importance of creating a safe and conducive school environment for teaching and learning to take place”.
Education expert Professor Labby Ramrathan, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said school safety has been on the agenda for several decades but no substantial interventions have been made to ensure the safety of staff and learners.
He added that the local community itself needs to implement safety measures to foster a secure environment.
“Emphasis on community safety must happen before it can move into school premises. Education of the community on issues of safety must be an ongoing discourse and supported by community policing and SAPS,” he said.
However, he said the Department of Education should focus on education, adding that addressing schools’ safety concerns is not their mandate. “Schools can only provide education for a safe environment within schools and communities.”
KZN violence monitor, Mary de Haas, said the violence prevalent in communities is spilling over to schools.
“You do not need a whole conference on what to do about it. The areas in which the schools are, are themselves racked by crime with armed (people), and it is again a failure of crime intelligence.
“The vulnerability of schools is part of a much bigger problem of cutting back on crime-fighting in communities, and it starts with proper crime intelligence driven operations.”
The Mercury