Lavender Hill pupils’ safety still a concern

POLICE incompetence in failing to stamp out Cape Flats gang terror remains a key concern for the Western Cape education authorities, but this did not dampen their will to get 4 000 Lavender Hill pupils back in class.

While grateful for greater police visibility with more police vans and foot patrols, the question remains what will happen in the long term, and it is this concern which the school community will raise at a meeting with Premier Helen Zille and Education MEC Debbie Schäfer today.

Lavender Hill High School principal Faseeg Manie said the attendance was at 70% yesterday, but the greatest improvement noted was from the Western Cape Education Department’s intervention.

Psychologists were at Lavender Hill’s four schools, counselling pupils and curriculum advisers were working with staff on catchup plans for the week and half lost, said Manie.

He said teachers were trying to find a venue with boarding facilities out of the area where Grade 12s can write their June exams and stay during the last week of the quarter and the first week of the holidays.

In questioning police about long-term plans for safer communities, Schäfer said, “Have we reached the point where the failure of our criminal justice system is now directly impacting the opportunities and rights of learners to basic education?

“Without education these young children become only more susceptible to joining gangs.”