Unathi Obose
A group of Grade 8 learners from Luhlaza High School and Matthew Goniwe Memorial High Schools in Khayelitsha gathered at Luhlaza for a Safe Schools Programme.
The three-day gathering, an initiative of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), started on Monday 31 March and concluded yesterday (2 April). It was hosted in partnership with the Lingelethu-West officers. Thirty learners from Luhlaza and 29 from Matthew Goniwe attended the session.
“We are appealing to parents to look after their children and ensure that they come in the house early.” – Sgt Xoliswa Nyalambisa
Ayanda Mazwi, the department’s school safety support worker, described the programme as an Easter Holiday Programme to educate learners about the dangers of bullying and substance abuse. “We are building future leaders here. We are teaching them leadership and conflict management skills. We want them to be able to resolve conflicts not only at school but in the community at large,” explained Mazwi, adding that they want to instil confidence. She stated that many children lose their self- esteem because of being bullied.
Mazwi stated that some of the learners drink alcohol or smoke drugs because they want to experiment with it or because of peer pressure. She stated that most children don’t understand that bullying is a criminal offence, they think it is a normal thing.
Lingelethu-West police station spokesperson Sgt Xoliswa Nyalambisa said their role is to ensure that the learners are safe and protected at school. She said they educate them about the danger of gender-based violence, bullying and substance abuse and crime in general. “We are appealing to parents to look after their children and ensure that they come in the house early,” said Nyalambisa.
Esona Mbuqe (13) from Luhlaza described the programme as helpful, educational and a “must attend” for the learners.
Sibulele Ben (14) from Matthew Goniwe described the event as exciting. “We were taught how to deal with bullying. Instead of fighting back, we were told that we must report it to the teacher or any older person,” he said.
