Statement by Adv. André Gaum, Minister of Education in the Western Cape

At my request, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has secured R1.2 million for the rollout of our plan to restore a culture of discipline in schools where a lack of discipline occurs and to support our teachers and schools to maintain a culture of discipline.

The Plan for Discipline that we have developed will focus on prevention programs, intervention programs, school-based support programs, youth care centres and special centres for youth at risk.

Educators are confronted daily with unacceptable learner behaviour and threatening situations. A lack of knowledge about and a lack of skills in effective behaviour management practices have fuelled a sense of hopelessness and failure in educators trying desperately to cope with a deteriorating situation.

The alienation of learners from family, school and community explains to a large extent why children engage in challenging behaviour. Families are under pressure, some schools fail to establish relationships with learners at risk and communities are struggling with social problems.

The purposes of a our new strategy to establish a culture of discipline are to:

• build appropriate capacity of educators to ensure quality and effective service and education to children at risk,
• promote reclaiming school environments for learners at risk within an inclusive education and training system,
• promote a restorative approach towards challenging behaviour, and to
• minimise the economic implications of dealing with challenging learners.

The Plan for Discipline follows a developmental approach that aims at enabling learners to grow and to experience themselves as whole and competent, able to make sound decisions for themselves, and thereby to progress towards responsible actions and a greater sense of well-being.

Restorative discipline in the school setting views challenging behaviour not as breaking the rules of the school and, therefore, as a violation of the institution, but rather as a violation against people and relationships. The shift is from behaviour management to relationship management.

The WCED model for dealing with challenging learners makes provision for five levels of support:

• Level 1-3: Prevention, early intervention and School-based support programmes in all schools in all schools, which includes identification of learners at risk, emotional support and guidance to learners, and deliberate interventions.
• Level 4-5: Youth care and education centres and Special youth care and education centres, which provide developmental, educational and therapeutic programmes (residential and non-residential) to cater for the needs of learners in distress referred there in terms of the relevant legislation.

In addition to the above, Education Support Teams (Institution-based Support Teams) at all schools, the components for Institutional Management and Governance, Specialised Learner and Educator Support at district offices of the WCED, and youth centres as resource centres, provide the infrastructure for support to schools and learners in distress, families and educators.

The rollout of the plan includes an advocacy campaign to bring about a paradigm shift at all levels of management in the WCED, school governance and school management level, and with all educators, as well as capacity development through educator- training.

Aspects of the plan of action are being assessed in various pilot projects, which include:

A pilot project with a view to assessing the training modules, which have been conducted since September 2003 prior to the introduction of the training of trainers and the general training programme during the first semester of 2004.

• A pilot project aimed at promoting the development of reclaiming environments that will be launched in mainstream schools and youth centres in October 2004.
• A pilot project on the implementation of restorative practices in schools including diversion programmes that will be launched at the end of 2004.

Inquires: Rudi Buys at  082 577 6551