The safety of learners and teachers at Altmont Technical High School is under siege due to gangsters disrupting schooling.
Learning and teaching have been severely affected since the beginning of the 2023 academic year due to gangsters’ fights.
During the DA’s school readiness tour at Altmont Technical High School, we met with disgruntled parents and community members concerned about the safety of their children.
See the photos here, here, and here.
In our engagement with the school management, we discovered that some learners have substance abuse issues and some even bring weapons to school.
Furthermore, the school is overcrowded and has exceeded its capacity. Despite efforts by the school management to involve the police, there are constant gang fights at the school.
The DA propose that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) must implement an urgent integrated safety plan involving social worker, police, Community Policing Forum (CPF), and the School Governing Body (SGB) to identify the core issues causing this disruptive behaviour and bring a permanent solution.
We will further submit written questions to the Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane to ascertain the effectiveness of the school’s safety strategy in the province.
Gangsterism and violence negatively impact learners’ performance and must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.