The Council of Education Ministers has approved measures to beef up security at public schools, and the department will identify ”problem schools” needing immediate attention, Minister of Education Naledi Pandor announced on Monday.
These are aimed at schools around the country, but specifically in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga where recent incidents have been highlighted, she told a media briefing after the council’s regular meeting.
The council has agreed that, among other things, infrastructure such as walls and fences should be provided at schools currently without these.
Relations between schools and the local police services will be strengthened, and provincial education departments will investigate introducing safety officers at vulnerable schools, she said.
Deputy Minister of Education Enver Surty will lead a team to investigate the legislative process for random searches for drugs and weapons at schools, in line with international experiences.
Pandor said the United Kingdom experience can be followed in this regard. Careful consideration will be given to ensuring the rights of pupils are protected, but the protection of pupils from drugs and weapons will be the guiding factor.
”We need to inculcate a culture of safety,” she said.
Other measures include a school register for all visitors to schools, counselling services at schools, and closed-circuit television and floodlights.
The department will immediately begin to identify specific problem schools and report to council. It is hoped to attend to these schools before the end of the year.
Pandor said school safety regulations will also be amended to accommodate school tours and sporting activities. These regulations will ensure, among other things, that public schools take reasonable measures to guard the safety of pupils during tours and sporting activities, including accident insurance.
Drugs, alcohol and dangerous weapons will be banned on school trips, and the supervising teacher on the trip will submit a report to the principal on its conclusion, who will in turn report to the departmental official who approved the tour.
Schools will have to ensure the vehicles used are insured and roadworthy, and the drivers in possession of the necessary licences and permits.
Strict measures will also be introduced to safeguard pupils leaving school early, including keeping a record of the person collecting the pupil early.
The regulations will be published for comment before being gazetted and introduced in about eight weeks’ time, Pandor said. — Sapa