Teachers demand action following urine-throwing incident at Joburg school

SAOU has accused the Gauteng education department of failing to protect teachers after a pupil allegedly assaulted an educator. A female teacher’s dignity was violated last month when a Grade 7 pupil at a Johannesburg primary school threw a container of urine over her in the classroom. The attack was the latest in a string of escalating incidents of violence at the Laerskool Generaal De La Rey. Teachers say school has become unsafe Teachers there are so concerned they summoned their union, the South African Teachers’ Union (SAOU) because they feel working conditions at the school are hostile and unsafe… and that the Gauteng department of education (GDE) has done nothing to help them. The teachers claim an official from the department told them to “deal with it yourself.” SAOU spokesperson Dems Nel said the escalation in violence in schools and, specifically against teachers, was unacceptable. “The SAOU attended Laerskool Generaal De La Rey in Johannesburg this week to assist some of our members,” Nel said. “The school, staff and pupils have struggled with cases of pupils’ ill-discipline, which conduct has escalated to verbal abuse and threats and resulted in a teacher being thrown with urine by a pupil and another pupil bringing a dangerous object to school. “Considering the extreme nature of the conduct of these pupils and the threats made to the teachers, the school approached the GDE for assistance.” Union accuses GDE of failing to protect staff Nel said the GDE has failed to address these concerns and has left the teachers to fend for themselves, with one official even stating teachers must deal with it, instead of offering support or assistance. The female teacher “is currently dealing with severe illness within the family and is already under great stress”, added Nel. “Horrible conduct like this only serves to further damage and place stress on the psyche of the teacher. The effects of the pupil’s actions cannot be understated and the failure by the employer to protect teachers in their workplace must be addressed with the utmost urgency and seriousness.” Nel said SAOU has submitted formal grievances on behalf of its members at the school. “In the grievance, we require the GDE to address the hostile, unsafe and untenable working conditions as a matter of urgency,” he said. “We further request that an investigation be launched against the GDE official who made the unprofessional, unbecoming and callous remarks.” Gauteng education department confirms disciplinary action GDE spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana confirmed the department was aware of an alleged bullying incident involving pupils at the school. “While the department has not been formally presented with the video circulating on social media, the incident itself has been reported to the department and is receiving attention,” she said. “The school governing body [SGB] is currently undertaking disciplinary processes in terms of the South African Schools Act, as amended. District officials, including the school safety official and institutional development and support officer, were at the school this morning to support the SGB chair and the principal with the management of the suspension process and the issuing of letters to the two alleged perpetrators. The outcome of the disciplinary hearing will be communicated once the process has been concluded.” Lubhelwana said the department was not in a position at this stage to confirm the precise nature of what is depicted in the circulating video, as the video has not been formally presented to the department. She added the department could not disclose information that may identify the pupils involved, because they were minors. Lubhelwana said a departmental psychologist has provided psychosocial support to the affected pupil and has also engaged other pupils who are part of the group for debriefing and appropriate intervention. “The department is also unable, based on the information currently available, to confirm previous bullying complaints at Laerskool Generaal De La Rey, or whether the school had previously been flagged through school safety monitoring,” she said. Last week, Lubhelwana said the department’s school safety operation will be intensified following 12 schools searched in Gauteng in the first three weeks of last month. “Previous searches have resulted in the recovery of knives, suspected illegal substances, dangerous objects, disposable vapes, cigarettes and other prohibited items from school premises,” she said.