THE FAILURE OF SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES TO PROTECT THE GIRL LEARNER

The government has not made much progress to combat violations of girl learners in public schools. Recent reports we have received with regard to the issue show that sexual harassment of and violence against girls by boy learners is still very high. Most learners that do not have informed and articulate guardians end up relinquishing school simply because they are continuously threatened by their teachers that if they talk about their experiences at school they will get into trouble.

School Governing Bodies (SGBs) have not played a discernable role in dealing with these problems at schools. Recently, a girl told me she reported an incident of sexual harassment by a learner at school. The matter was referred to the department of education’s district office where the complaint apparently disappeared. Instead of SGBs campaigning to abolish school fees, they are the ones who impose and collect school fees. The collected school fees are never used to pay for therapy of learners that have been sexually harassed or violated.

The causes of violation of girl learners are many. A school in Soweto, Diepkloof, insists on locking latecomers out of school. Most of these latecomers are usually only five to ten minutes late. But they also happen to be mostly girl learners. These girls are at risk of being attacked by evil or mischievous people, like the “amatsotsi’’ who always stand outside the school gates. In high school I have seen what problems teachers who date school children cause. The girls are always uneasy at school and this makes them to lose their ability to perform well in their studies because they are afraid of their teacher-Boyfriends. There is also the other problem where the girl who dates a teacher is passed through the grades and only to get stuck at matriculation when the teacher- Boyfriend cannot help any longer.

SGBs seem to have absolutely no power to protect girl learners. They do not know what is going on in the classroom. The only thing they know is to force children to pay school fees; to threaten children with expulsion if they cannot contribute to so-called fund-raising for the school. This strengthens the opinion that SGBs are not in schools to improve the quality of education that we fought for on June 16 1976, but instead are there for the money. It is really sad that most Black and White schools do not teach learners about the importance of June 16. Teachers only relish the day- off from work. Teachers must see a child in a learner, not a wife. Children do not go to school to have babies or to be married. Girl learners must be taught about the very significant contribution they can make in the country’s politics and economy. We must teach them life is not only about boyfriends, sex and babies.

maxwell nqeno is a young activist from Sol Plaatjie, West Rand, and is a member of the Anti- Privatisation forum’s Education Sub-committee.