Deputy Speaker, the ANC welcomes the signing of a pact by the Department of Basic Education and the police on Tuesday, 6 August 2013 at Sakhisizwe Secondary School in Kanana Park, south of Johannesburg.
The pact is envisaged to develop a range of crime prevention programmes geared at improving safety at schools. It seeks to bind teachers, learners and the community to unite in the fight against violence at schools, with the objective of establishing safe-school committees across the country.
Already 18 309 schools have been linked to police stations and school safety committees have also been established. The ANC is of the view that combating crime and violence in schools is a shared responsibility. Therefore we urge parents and communities to participate in the day-to-day development of children and to ensure the success of their schools.
Moreover, working with the police will ensure that schools are safe havens where learners do not have to fear that they will be attacked.
The ANC calls upon members of the communities, especially in areas such as Manenberg in the Western Cape, to establish school safety committees in their own areas. [Applause.]