Education experts have weighed in on the increasing violence and racial tensions in South African schools, highlighting management challenges and proposing solutions for a harmonious learning environment.

Rajendran Govender, the newly-appointed commissioner of cultural, religious and linguistic communities, said that social media fuelled racial tension.

“Social media makes every situation worse, especially when it comes to issues with different race groups. I feel before the matter escalates into becoming a race issue, the public should allow the investigations to be done.

“When different parents stand together, it makes the issue of tension minimal. Parents play an essential role in pupils studying in harmony together. We live in a diverse country. We need to find a way to be inter-cultural to strengthen our ever growing diversity,” said Govender.

He added that schools should find ways for school communities to work together to show diversity.

“We need to show race in a positive light rather than an issue from the past. We need to offer the best education to our children in a good environment without conflict,” said Govender.

Paulus Zulu, professor of research at MauriceWebb Race Relations Unit at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said violence at schools was much deeper than just racial tensions.

“The cause isn’t racial tensions, it is the predisposition and architecture of South Africa’s background of racial background. The issue at schools is that problems are reduced to being racial from two normal persons' inability to solve an issue which turns into a race fight,” said Zulu.

He said that education at schools was dysfunctional due to the poor management of schools.

“It is common for children from black schools to want to move to either Indian or white school because they feel they will get a better education. However, when they get to these schools, they tend to bring their issues and different personalities with them. This is when racial issues arise.

“A simple fight by two pupils of different races can turn into a racial issue very quickly. In a climate where we've been so racialised, rather than harmonised, it’s not shocking that we still turn to race as the issue.”

Zulu said that coming from apartheid, the government did not do enough to educate its people on different races.

“Children need to be educated from a young age about race, so as not to make an issue about it in the future. We are supposed to teach children that we are all humans, and not a race that is against each other.

“South Africa is over politicised. We keep replaying the drama of the past by saying we are keeping the memory alive, but why do we need to? We should be moving on and starting anew,” said Zulu.

He said that in a school sphere, many principals felt emasculated because pupils would pull the race card whenever there was an issue.

“Pupils will be quick to say racism instead of fixing the issue of their behaviour, that's when the issue turns racial through politics and it becomes a bigger matter than it initially was. Each school follows their own conduct and I personally believe that when it comes to the issue of hair, in school, you don’t need fancy hair and that is what most schools expect.

“We cannot start an issue in Indian schools, where they already have a rule about hair, to then ask them to allow our black children to now wear their hair however they feel. School is for education and not for a place to start racial tensions when things don’t go your way,” said Zulu.

Vee Gani, the chairman of the Parents Association of KwaZulu-Natal, said that “troublesome” pupils made school difficult for those who wanted to learn.

“Schools are a learning institution and every pupil goes there to get an education. But there are some children who go to school and cause disruptions for others. These pupils are notorious for having issues with others and use violence to fix the issues they think they have,” said Gani.

“It's difficult for schools to manage such situations. They do have a hard time trying to deal with pupils who don’t know how to behave or interact with others. We must also remember that the principal and teachers are there to educate pupils and not try to resolve conflict,” said Gani.

He said discipline had been taking the forefront of schools' image as opposed to education.

“It’s sad to see that the management had to take time out to discipline children, whereas in that time, teaching could have been done. During fights, teachers themselves are afraid for their own lives,” he added.

Gani said that racial tension in schools had always existed because of the history of South Africa.

“There is no cure for racial tension but schools do have a code of conduct to follow. Pupils should be sanctioned by the code of conduct. Schools need to implement it but I know many don't because it takes a lot of time.

“Only troublesome pupils go through a disciplinary hearing and tribunal, they will learn the consequences of behaving badly. If not they will become repeat offenders,” said Gani.

THE POST