Here’s how many reports of abuse and neglect Gauteng schools have received in recent years

Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Lebogang Maile. Picture: Supplied / Gauteng Department of Education Societal issues are impacting the classroom as thousands of incidents of abuse and neglect are being dealt with by Gauteng schools annually. A report compiled by the provincial department of education recently revealed that just over 22 000 reports of emotional, physical, sexual and financial abuse were recorded between 2023 and 2026.

While a small fraction of the reports were the result of incidents occurring at schools, the vast majority were detected by staff trained under the department’s learner psychosocial support directorate (LPSD). “Reported incidents reflect a broad spectrum of learner safety, protection, and wellbeing concerns within and beyond the school environment. “All schools have established school-based support teams which serve as the first point of receipt and management of reported cases.

“Cases received by school-based support teams are referred, where appropriate, to social workers and district-based support teams for further intervention and support,” the department’s July report stated. As well as to the almost 120 social workers available to the department, abuse reports were also made telephonically to partner organisations under the department of social development. The details on the extent of the abuse facing children stemmed from a question posed in the provincial legislature by the DA’s shadow MEC for education Sergio Isa Dos Santos.

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Of the 22 020 abuse reports, 155 were documented to have occurred at schools. This included 15 corporal punishment incidents, 34 cases of pupil-on-pupil bullying, 10 fights between pupils, eight pupil stabbings and one school shooting. The LPSD identified 3 022 cases that required clinical counselling, including 1 118 pupils affected by rape or sexual assault, 435 by physical and emotional abuse and 369 suffering from neglect.

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