By Kaya 959 News
Vodacom has joined hands with the Department of Basic Education to place 20 psycho-social professionals in their Schools of Excellence across the country.
The initiative, which is aimed at reducing the scourge of violence plaguing schools in this country, is a huge milestone for Vodacom in the fight against gender-based violence in South Africa.
The programme forms part of Vodacom’s gender-based violence ecosystem, which provides prevention, response, and victim support programs in partnership with government and civil society organisations.
Following a rigorous selection process, which commenced in 2020 with the participation of the University of Stellenbosch, so far, ten such professionals have been placed in KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces with effect from the 2021 academic year.
READ: Please Call Me inventor Nkosana Makate back in court over Vodacom offer
Rising GBV cases
The service provider giant says the country is grappling with the rising cases of gender-based violence, which was also declared by President Ramaphosa in 2020 as the second pandemic to Covid-19.
In recent weeks, the DBE has condemned rising cases of bullying in schools after the death by suicide of a learner in a Limpopo school in April 2021. A video went viral showing the learner being assaulted in the school premises by a fellow teenage learner in full view of peer bystanders.
“As a caring company that is committed to addressing societal challenges, Vodacom continues to collaborate with the public sector and non-government organisations to find long-lasting solutions to deal with some of the socio-economic problems affecting women and children,” says Takalani Netshitenzhe, Director of External Affairs in Vodacom Group.
School violence is a national crisis
Netshitenzhe says in SA, school violence is arguably a national crisis and measures, such as this initiative with the DBE, will also provide support to communities, including both the victims and perpetrators of gender-based violence.
“The programme will address various aspects of gender-based violence including bullying and peer bystanders, with the ultimate aim to promote harmony and mutual respect between learners and between learners and educators, including the root causes,” says Netshitenzhe.
According to a National School Violence study conducted by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention in co-operation with the DBE, 22% of high school learners experienced violence. This encompasses psychological and verbal abuse, robbery, physical assault, gang violence, sexual violence and bullying. Most of these encounters were targeted at females.
Safe and positive school climate
The psycho-social professionals are trained by the University of Stellenbosch, and will promote a safe and positive school climate. They will also provide support to educators and learners, and encourage student participation and empowerment to reduce school violence.
“Although they will be based at the SoEs, they will also service some of the surrounding schools in each district,” says Netshitenzhe.
With a startling school drop-out rate of about 50%, and youth unemployment being a major challenge in this country, SA needs to break the cycle of school violence that only exacerbates a loss of hope and optimism in young people’s future, and the capability to cope with adversity in social and economic environments.
READ: Teacher union calls for end to bullying after Limpopo teen takes her own life
“Vodacom hopes that through this initiative, they can help to transform schools into places of safety and learning, where learners can flourish without fear and make a positive impact on the communities in which they live and on society more broadly,” says Netshitenzhe.
A United Nations report reveals that truancy, a decrease in educational performance, depression, fatigue, and later aggressive behaviour as well as other psychological effects are just some of the results of violence associated with school.
