Government concerned about violence in schools
ALTHOUGH the provincial government is satisfied with the recent matric results and the rolling out of e-learning solutions to schools, it is deeply concerned with violence in all spheres of learning in KwaZulu-Natal.
KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala said violence, vandalism, theft and bullying in institutions of learning remained a key challenge for the province’s citizens.
He said this while delivering his State of the Province Address (Sopa) in Pietermaritzburg yesterday.
The concerns come amid violence at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and rising incidents of violence in schools.
“It is also concerning to see criminals attacking and even murdering security guards at some of our schools.
The education and safety of our children and infrastructure is a societal issue requiring collective effort,” said Zikalala.
He also used his Sopa speech to address the country’s economic crisis, saying that the economy was stuck in a low-growth cycle.
Statistics SA on Tuesday announced that gross domestic product (GDP) had contracted in the fourth quarter of 2019, sending the country into a technical recession.
“The global economy is under strain. The spread of the coronavirus is threatening the long-expected rebound in global trade. Rising geopolitical tensions could disrupt global oil supply, hurt sentiment and weaken already fragile business investment.”
He said trade policy uncertainty and pressures in key emerging market economies continued to weigh on rural component and is deeply reflective of our triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality,” Zikalala said.
High unemployment was also hampering growth, he said, with 29.1% of working-age people jobless.
“Despite this, we are encouraged that we are one of four provinces that is showing employment growth, with a net gain of 39000 jobs. These latest numbers stress the need for the government to speedily implement policies that will inspire confidence and encourage investment,” he said.
On migration affecting the province, UKZN economist Dr Ntokozo Nzimande said KZN was not only losing a piece of the pie from National Treasury, but also skilled people who could help it with skills needed by multinationals which might like to move their operations to KZN.