15 Apr 2021

Parliament has been informed that the security of teachers, staff and learners is a priority and schools have officers who provide security at the gate and across the school campus.

In addition, Assistant Minister of Basic Education, Ms Nnaniki Makwinja said learners were not allowed to carry any weapons to school as a measure to ensure safety for all within the school environment.

Answering a question in Parliament, Ms Makwinja said incidents of assault on teachers by learners under intoxication were rare.
Since 2019, she said, her ministry had recorded three cases of assault on teachers in which the learners were influenced by drugs or alcohol.

The assistant minister said as per the statistics, one of the cases of pupils assaulting teachers while intoxicated by either drugs or alcohol was registered in 2019 while the other two were recorded in 2020.

Ms Makwinja said most cases  were of pupils retaliating to the hitting inflicted by teachers, adding that cases were not centred on learners influenced mainly by drugs. She noted the statistics did not indicate that the security of teachers was compromised due to learners who were intoxicated.

However, Ms Makwinja said there was a concern that the interaction between staff and learners on a day-to-day basis might lead to violence, particularly where there was confrontation.

She said the situation could result in assault on learners and staff even in the absence of alcohol or intoxicating substances.

In addition, Ms Makwinja said the Pastoral Policy along with Guidance and Counselling officers gave learners guidance on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. She said the two programmes also guided pupils to adopt acceptable manner.

Jwaneng-Mabutsane MP, Mr Mephato Reatile had asked the minister to state the number of teachers that were subjected to abuse by pupils under the influence of habit-forming drugs in the past two years.

He also wanted to establish whether such cases were increasing or decreasing. Furthermore, MP Reatile had asked the minister on interventions in place to protect teachers. ENDS