The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has condemned the torching of classrooms and vandalism that took place at Ndengetho High School in KwaNdengezi, Durban.

According to the school’s report, learners were reacting to the search and seizure operation conducted by the South African Police Service (SAPS) last week Thursday, which led to cell phones, weapons and drugs being confiscated.

“According to the school's code of conduct, learners are not allowed to take cell phones into the school premises, hence cell phones were also confiscated by the police,” KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC, Mbali Frazer, said.

Frazer commended the work of the police, noting that it forms part of the agreement signed by the department with SAPS.

She said SAPS and the department have a protocol agreement signed more than 10 years ago, which is implemented by provinces, and search and seizures in schools form part of crime prevention and awareness campaigns, which happen on a regular basis.

“Members of SAPS, who conduct search and seizures in schools, are acting in line with the agreement, which is aimed at eradicating crime in schools. In terms of the agreement, every school is linked to a police station, and at the moment, 18 000 schools in the country are directly assigned a police station to ensure that all schools are crime free zones.

“We applaud the work of the police and we are encouraged to see that our agreement with SAPS is bearing fruit, as there are many other schools where such operations by SAPS are taking place,” Frazer said.

Frazer also reminded school management teams, working with school governing bodies, to ensure that the schools codes of conduct are adhered to at all times to ensure school functionality, as it provides the basis for quality teaching and learning.

Source: South African Government News Agency