Chiloane addressed the community of Kliptown, south of Johannesburg, during a School Safety Imbizo.
Chiloane said the ‘adopt-a-cop’ initiative is one of the unsuccessful safety efforts, saying police are not doing their job.
“We have done quite a number of interventions just to keep our schools safe; firstly, the adopt-a-cop programme – is not working because police are not doing their work in that programme. It’s a good program. We want it to work. We need this program, but it’s not there because the police are not doing what they are supposed to do.”
The MEC addressed a plethora of issues at school, from bullying, stealing and gangsterism.
Chiloane also blamed parents for the spike in gang-related incidents in schools, citing a lack of parental guidance and involvement as key factors in pupils’ misbehaviour.
“We have picked up fights of gangs, and I still say I blame the parents because they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, taking a keen interest in their children when they are coming to school. Even when there is a parents meeting, the majority of them don’t come,” Chiloane added.
At the same time, Chiloane applauded private security personnel at schools for a stellar job.
The MEC said there has been law and order at schools ever since the security deployment. However, the initiative is not long-term.
“It’s not a sustainable intervention because it’s not budgeted for, but it’s a desperate move by the Gauteng Department of Education to stabilise the school when they are in a state of conflict.”
Chiloane further highlighted the need for sign language, emphasising inclusivity for all children, revealing that all Grade 5 pupils in Gauteng schools will learn basic South African sign language.
“We have a multi-certification skills program where we are teaching all our Grade 5s how to communicate in basic sign language. All our children in the future will be able to communicate with one another,” Chiloane said.
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