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Reporter Johnathan Paoli and Multimedia reporter Kgalalelo Setlhare
The Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance has partnered with the Gauteng department of education in a campaign to address learner suicides in the province’s schools.
On the 11th of November, the Gauteng department of education held a School Safety Indaba in Ekurhuleni, as part of its Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign also known as the QLTC.
The QLTC was launched in 2008 to promote the treatment of education as a societal issue, which is subject to environmental, legislative and cultural influences.
This year, as part of its social support focus, the campaign examined the safety of learners at Gauteng schools following alarming statistics on learner and teacher deaths, particularly those that were by suicide.
Speaking at the School Safety Indaba, Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane addressed the safety status of the province’s schools, highlighting the interventions that had been implemented at schools across Gauteng.
Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane. Pictures: Eddie Mtsweni
As part of its various measures to address the prevalence of learner deaths, the department has partnered up with various organisations such as:
the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership & Governance,
the South African Depression and Anxiety group and
the National Association of Child and Youth Care Workers in order to address the psychological challenges affecting learners and teachers.
CEO of the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance Sibusiso Mahlangu highlighted the findings of an environmental report on the state of school safety, which found fundamental deficiencies in capacity building, community-based advocacy as well as infrastructural upgrades to monitor schools.
As a solution, MGSLG in collaboration with the Gauteng department of education has designed a three-year programme to capacitate schools and promote safety in order to create centres of excellence with strong community links, quality learning and teaching, and effective management. In so doing, MGSLG aims to help combat the root causes of crime and violence and advance social cohesion.
The School Safety Indaba is part of the Safe Schools Campaign, a commitment under the Operation Kgutla Molao – Restore Order Campaig. Pictures: Eddie Mtsweni
The education department has already started with other safety measures such as the placement of an additional 120 social workers to assist with learner risk assessments.
INSIDE EDUCATION