Violent schools in violent Gauteng: Where the right to learn has to be defended

The object of the inquiry that is captured in this article was the safety of pupils in schools and the increasing number of incidents of school-based violence. We argue that children and youths in schools need assistance to defend their right to learn, and that it can be forthcoming from school communities themselves in a bottom-up manner, because it does not appear to come from the authorities. Incidents of theft, vandalism, burglary, fighting, abuse, rape and even murder, are reported on school grounds. We investigated the spate of school-based violence in 34 schools in Gauteng Province. We collected data from these schools via questionnaires, and individual- and focus-group interviews. The findings show an increased prevalence of school violence, as well as its manifestation in an increasing variety of forms. We conclude that successfully combating school-based violence will depend on a multi-level systems approach that is endorsed by and embedded within school communities.