An Examination of the Effectiveness of the Implementation of Safety and Security Measures at Public Schools in South Africa

Abstract

School safety and security continue to demand attention at schools worldwide and in particular, South Africa, where numerous events expose schools as unsafe environments. Legislation and various policy directives do provide for safety measures to be enacted at schools. Added to legislative provisions, are best practices in safety and security, which should engender the implementation of legislative provisions and behavioural practices aimed at keeping schools safe and secure. With this study, I explored the effectiveness of the implementation of safety measures at schools. Data collection was done through a quantitative survey of teachers and qualitative interviews of school principals. Findings indicate a mix of effective implementation with numerous challenges on other aspects of safety and security measures at schools. Though recommendations point mainly to ensuring the implementation of existing safety and security measure and best practices, the main recommendation points to the role of departmental officials who must play an effective oversight role and most importantly, support and development roles, including making sure that school governing bodies consider school safety as a school functionality lever and include it in their school strategic development planning.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p490