Education
- Whether her Department has considered making it compulsory to follow a scanning procedure for entry to school premises; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
- how many learners have lost their lives on school premises due to violence in the province in 2018?
THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION
7. (1) No, not all schools currently require this type of security. Scanners are also not always effective as learners and outside elements find alternative ways of getting weapons onto school premises. These include throwing weapons over walls and burying them underground during the night. However, to support schools in the detection of hidden dangerous weapons, the WCED distributed 1 000 hand held metal detectors to schools across the province, especially in high and medium risks areas. Schools can also request hand held scanners from the department if the school has not already been issued with a scanner. We have also provided schools with guidelines on the use of the scanners.
(2) One (1) learner died on school premises between January and August 2018. A grade 10 learner, Nolan Davids was attacked and stabbed by 4 men from the community as he was leaving school. He succumbed to his wound shortly after arriving at the hospital.
