With teachers being more frequently identified as perpetrators of physical violence than fellow pupils, there are concerns about discipline, accountability, and safeguarding in the education system.
Data from Statistics South Africa’s General Household Survey reported that 1.1 million learners aged five years and older experienced some form of violence in school in 2024.
The data set noted that 156,229 (14%) of learners who experienced violence reported physical violence from teachers, and 87,059 (8%) reported physical violence involving other learners.
Terence Khalala, acting director for communications and researcher for the Department of Basic Education, explained that frameworks and mechanisms around school safety have adapted over the years, leading to increased reporting.
A key focus is the National School Safety Framework, which underpins all the department’s work on school safety.
He said that over the years, the department has made significant efforts to implement and strengthen this framework through various initiatives.
“Making sure that we have school safety teams, looking at a safety file, which is an opportunity for the school to log all of the incidents and challenges…and be able to take the appropriate interventions.”
Khala acknowledged the importance of addressing the issue of teacher-perpetrated violence with the relevant stakeholders, including educators and unions, to ensure that teachers are held accountable.
“The School Safety Framework makes possible the opportunities for reporting, the linkages of schools with police stations, where principals will have direct contact with the police station.
“This relates to ongoing work that the police station and the school engage in on an ongoing basis to make sure that what I had mentioned around the element of the school safety file becomes lively and make sure that there’s active policing at the school.”
