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The run-away-train of anarchy and mayhem in our Schools and Places of Learning far more frequently is living proof that the Department of Basic Education country-wide have ran out of ideals, lost it, and buried their heads deeper into the sands, like a polejana, says: Cde. Thobile Ntola, SG of SALIPSWU.         

The latest incident which is an addition to the drama of a sector that has lost both the battle and the war against students and learners criminal behaviour is when a fifteen (15) year old pupil from Eldorado Park pulled out what looked like the  “WARE JACOB”, pistol and threatened to shoot a teacher. By the grace of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit, it was a toy. Was it the real thing, SALIPSWU is sure, we were going to moan the death of yet another Teacher, following the sudden, and coldblooded murder committed by a seventeen (17) year old pupil, who is a high school learner in Zeerust, North West allegedly over a ‘feeding argument”.

The most worrying scenario is that both these learners are still juveniles, dangerous and armed. The question would be: “What has gone wrong in our new born democracy, where during the hey-day of Apartheid, such sporadic incidence were never heard of?”

The Government and its Basic Education Department must account. This state of affairs SALIPSWU believes comes as result of the State not investing enough resources and effort to restore the dignity of the sector. Teacher’s moral is at all-time low. No human being having to work under such self-inflicted and exasperating conditions by the State, would be able to give his/her best performance. Teachers forever and rightfully so, have complaint internally and externally about been Over-Worked, Underpaid, Over-Taxed, Over-Vat and

that they will be soon Over-The - Hill, and will have nothing to show that they sell their labour for many, many, many years as loyal, useful and productive citizens.

As if this incidence and many others were not enough, a Hammanskraal school pupil was caught on video engaging in sexually provocative misconduct, in full view of other learners and on lookers. This is living proof, why Teenage Pregnancy in our Schools have reached un-imaginable proportions. The Department of Social Development, must not get away with this one. Surely.   

Be that as it may, though the blame must be squarely and fairly put at the doorstep of the Government of the day and their allies in the Education fraternity, “” who are they? “Loyal and Sweetie Teachers Unions.

SALIPSWU is made to understand that almost two years ago an Organization called the South African Prisoners Organization for Human Rights (SAPOHR) invented a Pilot Project that was implemented by a qualified Service Provider called: Adil Training Institute to train reformed, rehabilitated and repented Parolees as Mentos and Motivational Speakers to warn Pupils, Learners and if needs be Tertiary Students against Bullying, Gangsterizm, Drug, Alcohol, Crime, Violence, Crime, Sexual Violence, Rape, HIV/AIDS, Teenage Pregnancy, School- Drop-Out and ultimately Suicide. Both the National and Gauteng Provincial Basic Education Departments, didn’t want to have anything to do with the Pilot Project, which in fact was funded by the National Lotteries Board. All SAPOHR need was an MOU, to implement the Pilot Project in the Gauteng Province Schools.

It doesn’t matter how hard the Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi try to extinguish the forest fires, for as long as there is no Political – will and courage to focus on the Mandate, for which hard earned tax-payers monies are spend to paid salaries of hard-working teachers and determined learners to get educated, it’s a bottomless pit and a useless toil of waste.  

If the Department of Basic Education does not do their Game and flex their muscles, demonstrate genuine efforts to bring to an end this daily insanity in our Schools, SALIPSWU will meet them in the Streets and at their doorsteps.  

Issued by SALIPSWU