​Thembisa Shologu
Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane has called on parents and communities to refrain from exposing children to criminal and violent activities. 
Addressing the School Safety Imbizo on Saturday at St. Ives Primary School in Kliptown, MEC Chiloane said children emulated what adults do by copying what happens in communities and bring it to schools. 
The Imbizo is the first of four to be hosted regionally across Gauteng this year at identified schools to address critical safety issues impacting high risk schools, fostering collaboration with local stakeholders to create a safer educational environment.
"Today we are discussing school safety, we are discussing the parameters with understanding that school is a microcosm of the community, what happens in the community always finds itself in our schools. 
"Kids will always copy whom they see as a role model or what elders do. There's no child that grows up and says I would be carrying a weapon to school unless there is somebody who is older, who is infusing that mentality in the child," said Chiloane.
He noted that because children are vulnerable, they need security and end up aligning with bullies, and gangster because they want to belong. 
He urged parents not to neglect their children and to play their part in their children's education including their performance.
"We have picked up fights of gangs and associates, I blame the community here and the parents because they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, taking the children interests at heart when coming to school. 
"Some parents do not come to parents' meetings, in fact majority of parents don't even come. The first time they see their children's report is when they ask if they have passed or failed. The whole year, they are not even there," he said.
According to research done, 245 schools have been identified as high risk across the province because of the communities which they located at.   
Out of those 75 were found to be extremely at high-risk rate and these include Westbury, Eldorado Park, Reiger Park and Soshanguve and Tembisa. 
Amongst some of the interventions the department came up with to address safety in schools is the adopt a cop school programme.
"It is not working, because police are not doing their work. It's a good programme, we wanted it to work but it is not happening because most schools say it is not happening. 
"We need this programme but it's not there because the police are not where they are supposed to be. If police could work with us on these 75 high-risk schools and borrow us 75 vans in the morning, borrow us 75 vans after school, it will go a long way to get our schools right. Visibility is very important, the impact of that will be enormous," said the MEC. 
Coordinator for school safety interventions, Channel George plead with the department to get the metal detectors because they were more effective than the two scans provided to schools. 
George said she did not want schools to be military camps but the unfortunate reality of the schools in Eldorado Park was that guns and weapons were common. 
"You will not believe the stuff that we confiscate from children's school bags. We need to spend money because our school parameters are easy to access.
"All our school parameters, the fences are broken, the walls are broken, the palisades are missing, so it is easy access for criminals and anybody who wants to enter the schools," she said. 
She further noted that when they realised schools were not safe for children in the community they formed a group made of parents, concerned community members with the assistance of the JPMD, wardens and eight private security companies. 
It was effective in August and September because late coming and ill-discipline and activities around the schools that were a concern to parents improved drastically. 
"When the schools reopened after the holidays, we had no more wardens, so the activities obviously decreased because we do not have numbers to accommodate all the schools. That is a concern. 
"We need comprehensive interventions and tangible programmes to deal with bullying as it is raising its head again in a lot of our schools," said George. 
Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Dulton Adams called on the department to make sure the Imbizo was not just a talk shop but must deliver something.
Adams echoed George's sentiments on the need of getting metal detectors in schools, and that of spending money.
"We must spend money and budget when it comes to school safety in our schools. When parents send their children to school, they want to send their children to a safe environment not to a warzone. 
"Gangs are operating openly in our schools, our principals and educators are not safe in our schools including our learners," said Adams.