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SAFE SCHOOLS : VIEWS EXPRESSED AT A WORKSHOP IN 2005

Preamble
The articulations at the workshop indicated the similarities of the problems that we all face. The skills
that we were trained in, the hands on approaches, the professional knowledge of the speakers and
the presentation of important material, served to support the importance of this workshop. It was
heartening to note that our school is an haven compared to the majority who consider themselves to
be in a far more serious plight with regard to safety and security.
The following is summary of the addresses/workshop presentations by key note speakers.
1. MR. TE ZUMGU – EMGD
 Emphasized the importance of direct community involvement  Scholar/parent patrol morning/afternoon  Monitor structures adjacent to the school that are trouble spots  Identify problem vehicles  Youth Desk to make a practical difference and to be taken seriously  Joint structures to be capacitated. However, he acknowledged the poor commitment from such structures during capacity workshops/talks  Acknowledged the enormous pressure consistently placed on school personnel to attend and convince DSSC of Departmental initiatives. 2. Senior Superintendent – Vish Naidoo-National Commissioner’s Office
 Shift on emphasis: Creation of a social crime prevention unit
 Socially based crime is affecting all schools in the Province
 The interaction between all sectors becomes crucial
 The latest drug in the abuse syndrome is sugars (waste product of heroine). This drug has
taken learners by storm. This drug can easily be pedaled at school.  There are also some legal drugs that are abused: Prescription drugs, glue, methylated  Use any available time to alert learners to the danger: Right Living. Guidance, Life
Orientation, Assembly seminars, media, pamphlets, newsletters, etc.
3. RS LALLA- On Management of Durban South Primary
 Stakeholders must sign a pledge of commitment  School safety issues can become critical obstacles to learning  COP: Community Oriented Policing  Tear Gas threat: Emergency Evacuation Plans 4. Colleen Hoover: Principal-St Anthony’s Primary School
 Metal detectors and security guards are insufficient without community support and effort.  Communities are loathe to assume responsibility for School Safety  The elements of school security: i. Physical Security: Fence, alarm, burglar bars, lighting ii. Community Ownership: After hours use, Religious, Tuition, ABET, Sport, Health Clubs, etc show building occupancy at prime time (nights and week-ends) iv. Business Sponsorship for security initiatives  Democratic rather than autocratic management nurtures healthy partnerships 5. Inspector Elvis Naidoo: SAPS Greenwood Park
 The schools alliance programme is in operation in North Durban under the Youth Desk  Learners from grades 8-11 are involved.  Discussions: Date rape, pregnancy, Night Club Dangers, Peer Counseling, Drugs and  SAPS Patrolling File started at each school  SAPS can train security guards  The number of learners that come from dysfunctional homes is rapidly increasing. Problems emanating from the breakdown in the family structure are now affecting schooling directly.  Suggests that YOUTH DESK be regularlised as part of the curriculum
 Youth Desk supported by Avoca Secondary, Effingham Secondary, Sea Cow Lake
Secondary and Park Hill is one of the best established. 6. Inspector Ian Scorgie: SAPS Greenwood Park [Recommended for Invitation]
 Topic: Inhibiting factors to safe schools: 1. Bullies (Profile: poor in their school work) 2. Truants (Profile: Dysfunctional families) 3. Physical/sexual abuse (prevalent in dysfunctional homes; promotes truancy and subjects young truants to further unscrupulous exploitation on the outside) 4. Weapons: can easily be carried into schools – recently a 13 year girl carried one of the biggest knives into school – profile: suicidal tendency 5. The lack of compassion of adults when dealing with children
7. Inspector Danie Verster: Durban Flying Squad[Recommended for Invitation]
Easily the most dynamic, dramatic and practical speaker at the workshop.  Spoke of hoax calls to the emergency numbers (7000 in the province last month) and the cost to the tax payer, the danger to public and personnel who rush at high speeds, etc.  Demonstrated samples of an array of drugs and how to recognize them.
 Walked us through on how sugars is processed and imbibed
 Categorically stated that drugs are a problem in ALL SCHOOLS
 Biggest problem facing the police: The lack of skill in observing and recording criminal
activity. Witnesses raerely know colour of clothing, height, hair, etc. of criminals!
 Took us through a quick exercise to test our own observation skills which we all failed miserably. Emphasized that we deliberately teach observation skills as a game at
school as part of the life skills programme.
 Walked us through 3 real cases: Date/gang rape via Rohipnol and the suitability of this drug for this purpose ; Hijacking & the importance of observation; Peddlers strategies in identifying potential victims in night clubs.  Laboured the apathy and naiveté of parents when dealing with their children; mentioned spots on the south coast and included Pavilion and Gateway from the North. Categorically stated the irresponsibility of parents who leave their children with cell phones to negotiate pick up well into the early hours of the morning; mentioned the Taxi-Booze parties at Blue Lagoon, etc.  Mentioned a standing rule for crime at school: Two people must know: Counselor & SAPS
 Posters of drugs must be prominently displayed
 Course Offered to Senior Learners: Project Fight Back – Monies collected as
donations to be forwarded to some needy organization
8. Wendy Clerk: Senior Prosecutor-Verulam Court
 Wendy is a member of the NPA
 Explained that inevitably, communities must be part of the solution
 There is a definite increase in crime at schools
 Many crimes go unreported – must educate and empower learners to report crime –
literally blow the whistle!
 Many cases of rapes perpetrated on learners by learners  Sexual offences increased by 58% since last year: 503 cases were victims U16 attacked  Under age casual sex is becoming the norm
 She has adopted Newlands East Secondary as part of her outreach programme and
urges school communities to approach legal persons to adopt their respective
schools. She engages in both social counseling and teaching the law to learners
 Suggests, although this maybe problematic, that peer tribunals (like a jury) for
minor offences may be more educative to the offender rather than always facing up
to adult supervision during disciplinary hearings.
 The question of both under age learners engaged in consensual sex came in for discussion. Both guilty of having sex with a minor!  Re-affirmed that the law supports the Management in initiating a body/bag search at any time; the only caution being that adult males search male learners and adult females search female learners. 9. Constable Yasmin Vaib : SAPS Greenwood Park
 Introduced the directory of important telephone numbers 10. Chris Edmond: Sector Policing
 Agreed to be invited to crime/problem areas to assist with crime-prevention initiatives
 Spoke of successes he has had
 Spoke of his former role at East Coast radio and Sector Policing
 Agreed that the Provincial Newspapers and other media were obliged to educate the
public on the content of our workshop
11. Linda Dabichurran & Susan Prellor
 Extensively discussed the Child Line policies  The legal and associated difficulties faced by school personnel when receiving reports of  The rate of increase in teenage suicide with SA now ranking 8th in the world  The role of social workers and their limitations 12. MR W. Ponnan
 Was the Programme Director  Emphasized the need for both school and the community to assume responsibility for the  Mentioned the enormous difficulties faced by school personnel to deal with social problems side-by-side with demands for efficient curriculum delivery and high standards for education.  More than 55% of parents use the school as a kindergarten from 08:00 to 15:00  The child spends most of his teenage life at school – few parents take an interest in all aspects of the institution in which their children spend this time, except for when it is BUDGET TIME! 13. Dr I. Rangraje –Safe Schools Coordinator
 The nature and success of this workshop should be cascaded thoroughly  Certainly greater participation is expected from parents and governing bodies.

Source: http://www.effinghamsecondary.co.za/files/SAFE-SCHOOLS.pdf