Schools have become war zones where teachers work in fear

INCIDENTS of violence at KwaZulu-Natal schools have left teachers fearing for their lives as pupils engage in violent and life-threatening behaviour.

Teachers attending a three-day conference of the National Teachers Union (Natu) this week spoke of helplessness and worry that their lives were at the mercy of criminals from outside, and pupils within, school premises.

Yesterday a high school principal was shot dead, allegedly by the husband of a teacher who worked at the school, in Pietermaritzburg.

The fatal shooting came just a day after a Northbury High School pupil set the deputy principal’s car alight over a disagreement about carrying a cellphone. Last Thursday, pupils at a KwaNdengezi-based school set their institution on fire in an apparent protest against a random SAPS search.

Teachers attending the conference said the incidents demonstrated the dangers that they were exposed to at schools. They asked that their names be withheld as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

“Unfortunately, we are powerless. The pupils have taken over and there is nothing that we can do about this,” said a teacher from Greytown in reference to the torching of a teacher’s vehicle.

“What’s worse is that nothing much is being said about this pupil’s behaviour, but if a teacher had slapped the pupil the entire community would be up in arms – that is how powerless we are against pupils,” she said.

Another teacher, from Pongola in northern KZN, also lamented the lack of safety at schools, saying that while she had not experienced any violent crime, recent episodes had left her with questions about her safety.

Safety was one of the topics discussed on the first day of the conference.

Natu acting president Sibusiso Malinga issued a stern warning to the government, calling for improved safety measures at schools.

“If nothing gets done, there will come a time when we will decide to boycott classes over safety issues, and that time is approaching fast,” Malinga said.

According to Natu, schools have become war zones where teachers work in fear of pupils and their colleagues because of the battle over positions.

Thirona Moodley of the National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA called for the criminal justice system to play its role in the Northbury incident.

“This is so disappointing because teachers are there to shape and sharpen the minds of pupils. For them to have such an experience is simply unacceptable, and such an act should not go unpunished,” said Moodley.

She also called on parents to play an active role in their children’s lives in a bid to deal with unruly behaviour.

Education Portfolio Committee chairperson Sifiso Sonjica blamed drugs as the major source of the problems at schools. He suggested a gathering of teachers, pupils, parents and other civil structures in order to come up with a solution to the problem of violence.

“There is a kind of behaviour that one simply cannot explain, and this is a matter that should be attended to with urgency, otherwise we could have more problems,” Sonjica said.

The Education Department’s Muzi Mahlambi said they empathised with the teachers’ plight, but had little control over the situation.

He cited episodes of violence in Gauteng and other provinces as an illustration of the extent of the problem.

“No amount of security can deter an individual or group that is hell-bent on causing chaos. We have had instances where thugs enter the most secure schools and do whatever they want to.”

He pointed out an incident in which criminals had entered a police station and made off with guns, and the exchange of gunfire between gangs at a Durban court this week as further proof that violent crime knew no bounds.