Alcohol evidence centre opens
mindfulness practice using tools such as yoga, meditation, mindful breathing and Biodanza dance.
As an antidote to stress, mindfulness curricula are rolling out across schools in the UK and US, she says, and there’s a strong argument that the South African education system should follow suit.
A recent report released by the DGMT foundation, “The Human Factor”, cites teachers saying that their workload has quadrupled over the last two years, causing extreme pressure to get through a curriculum that is too full. It also found that class sizes are above the recommended 40-pupil maximum in more than 40% of schools in six provinces.
In addition to overwhelming numbers of children to oversee, lack of self-discipline among the pupils is a major stress for teachers.
The report also cites the impact of impoverished conditions on cognitive, language and nutritional foundations, and notes how teachers are struggling to do not only their own jobs, but the work of parents too.
“We have to train teachers to be able to give children a real sense of possibility in life, to make them feel valued and appreciated.
“This starts first with teachers learning to take charge of their own stress and struggles. In our stress tests that teachers have taken, more than half have come back scoring extremely high in their levels of stress, and we believe consistent mindfulness practice can help reduce this stress.
“Having experienced how hard it is for adults to make significant and sustainable changes in their own lives, we designed the Wise Personal Wellbeing programme to support South African teachers through a powerful process of personal change,” Surya said.
She has been involved in stress-management for more than 20 years and said mindfulness was at the heart of Wise training workshops, and the techniques taught had a proven track record of reducing stress and enhancing performance.
“Through the focus on their own self-care, teachers taking part in the programme report that they have a deeper understanding of children’s mindsets and how to support them in improving their own well-being,” she said.
A teacher who took part in the programme said she looked at her pupils through different eyes. “I have a better understanding of them,” she said.
Wise is currently active in schools across the Western Cape, especially in the gang-ridden Cape Flats. THE national Department of Transport and the KZN Department of Transport, in partnership with South African Breweries (SAB) yesterday opened an alcohol evidence centre (AEC) in Pietermaritzburg.
The opening was attended by the Transport Minister Blade Nzimande and KZN Road Traffic Inspectorate director Victor Chetty.
The centre has breathalyser equipment and specially trained personnel to help traffic authorities to more efficiently process drivers suspected of being over the legal alcohol limit.
According to statistics released by the Department of Transport at the end of the 2018 festive season, KZN recorded the highest number of road deaths across the country with 328 deaths in 267 crashes. The establishment of the centre is part of SAB’s road safety focus aimed at reducing harm caused by the misuse of alcohol.
“We are committed to making a positive impact on society and to do as much as possible to help change behaviour. Lower blood alcohol concentration limits and stricter enforcement have been proven around the world to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities linked to drinking and driving. South Africans must realise that if you are going to drink, you cannot drive,” said Zoleka Lisa, senior director corporate affairs, SAB and AB InBev Africa.
AECs, first implemented across the country in 2011, have proven to successfully assist in improving the number of convictions for driving under the influence, and reducing incidents of this nature. SAB developed the concept of AECs alongside provincial authorities and industry experts.
A report by the World Health Organisation in 2010 showed that South Africa had one of the poorest road safety records, with about 31.9 fatalities per 100 000 people.