Saturday, 16 February, 2008
In South Africa, 12 million learners attend school daily. This week, the South African Institute of Race Relations [SAIRR] reported the findings of a Progress in International Reading Literacy study that place South African schools at the bottom of the heap in terms of school safety.
A spokesperson for the Institute, Thomas Blaser, remarked: "In that study South African school pupils were asked whether they felt safe when they were at school and if they had experienced incidents of stealing, bullying, and injury to themselves or to others in their class the last four weeks. Only 23 percent of South African pupils said they felt safe at school. On average South Africa's schools ranked more than 20 percentage points below the world-wide average of 47 percent...".
More about this article at: http://www.themercury.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20080205114424597C466622
Of course, in response, the National Department of Education retreated into the usual denialism by pointing out that the SAIRR "has fallen prey to a political agenda, and in so doing has severely damaged its credibility". The Director-General of the Department of Education, Duncan Hindle, pointed out that the data used by the SAIRR only reflect learners' perceptions, and not, in fact, reality: "Feeling something does not make it so."
Here is the clincher:
[1] The Department's own records show the following facts - 24% of South African schools have no burglar bars; 35% of schools have no security gates; and 80% of schools have no alarm systems.
[2] To demonstrate how irrelevant the findings of the study are, Mr. Hindle pointed out that the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, (for long a personal favourite of mine!) recently launched a programme to provide South African schools "seriously at risk" with fences, lighting, security guards and even metal detectors!
[3] The Department of Education also sponsored legislation in 2007 for providing for the search and seizure of dangerous weapons and drugs at school.
Now, my question is simple - If there were no problem, why would there be a need for points 2 and 3 above? It seems hardly demonstrative of the Department's belaboured position to admit the problem by sponsoring the passing of legislation when, in fact, there is no problem to address.
More can be read about this in the Natal Mercury: http://www.themercury.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20080206164126351C268659
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