Parliament, Thursday, 12 August 2021 - The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education and the Select Committee on Education, Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture have described the vandalism of schools during last month’s unrest in KwaZulu-Natal as unfortunate and regrettable.
The committees visited schools in the Durban Central and Pinetown districts yesterday, where officials reported that the stripping of school assets through theft was going on long before the outbreak of the recent unrest, and that some of the perpetrators came from local communities.
“It is unfortunate and regrettable that some in our communities seem to have adopted a culture of seeing nothing wrong in the destruction of public facilities. It is wrong; we cannot normalise criminality,” said the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Ms Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba.
The committees heard from department officials and school principals that the vandalism of 144 schools and theft of equipment in the province has disrupted learning and teaching, especially the mid-year examinations.
Committee members said school security is a big problem in many communities throughout the country. They recommended the South African Police Service’s school-based crime-prevention strategy, the Adopt a School initiative, to protect schools more effectively.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON BASIC EDUCATION, MS BONGIWE MBINQO-GIGABA, AND THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE, MR ELLECK NCHABELENG.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairpersons, please contact:
Name: Sakhile Mokoena
Cell: 081 705 2130
Email: smokoena@parliament.gov.za
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