1. Since it is our aim to provide a reliable and efficient service, the WCED is establishing a Call Centre to complement our Walk-in Centre on the 2nd floor, Grand Central Towers, Lower Parliament Street, Cape Town.
2. The Call Centre will be in operation from 15 April 2004 onwards.
3. The Call Centre component, which will handle all staffing and salary inquiries, will specialise in providing assistance to educators and public service officials on employment (e.g. personnel provisioning, appointments and service benefits) and salary issues (e.g. remuneration and deductions).
4. The Safe Schools component of the Call Centre will
4.1 handle calls relating to the following:

  • Arson

  • Assaults

  • Burglaries

  • Corporal punsihment

  • Fraudulent school reports

  • Gang violence

  • Robberies

  • Shootings

  • Vandalism

  • Hijacking

  • Drug and alchohol abuse

  • Abuse of learners and educators

  • Rape

  • Sexual harassment and any other forms of abuse

4.1 provide information on the following:

  • Abortion

  • Alcoholism

  • Drug abuse

  • HIV/AIDS

  • Racism

  • Teenage pregnancies

5. The Call Centre’s telephone numbers and service hours are as follows: 
Employment and salary  queries	
Telephone no:  0861 92 33 22 (or 0861-WCEDCC)
Service hours: Monday to Friday: 7:45 to 17:00


Safe Schools				
Telephone no:  0800 45 46 47
Service hours: Monday to Friday: 7:45 to 17:00
6. Callers will be able to speak any of the three official languages of the Western Cape Province and all calls will be recorded for quality assurance purposes. The centre will provide voicemail services after hours and operators will respond to recorded messages on the following working day.
7. Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all staff under your control.


SIGNED: B.K. SCHREUDER
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2004:04:07