Latest news with #Chiloane
The Citizen
30-05-2025
- The Citizen
Grade 2 learner assaulted, allegedly by staff member at Joburg school
As the country marks Child Protection Week, disturbing reports of sexual abuse involving young learners continue to surface, raising serious questions about safety in schools. Southern Courier reports that one such case has emerged at Laerskool Dalmondeor in Johannesburg South, where a Grade 2 learner was assaulted, allegedly by a staff member. Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has expressed deep concern following the incident. The incident reportedly took place last Wednesday in one of the school's cloakrooms. According to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), the learner's mother alleged that her child was assaulted by a general assistant and opened a case at Mondeor Police Station that same day. It is understood that the school only became aware of the allegation on Tuesday when police visited the premises and arrested the implicated staff member. Police investigations into the matter are ongoing. The accused remains in custody and will be precautionarily removed from his position at the school, pending further developments. 'The GDE takes allegations of this nature extremely seriously,' said the department in a statement. 'The safety, protection, and psychological well-being of all learners remain our foremost priority.' Chiloane condemned the incident in the strongest terms and emphasised the importance of tightening safety measures at all educational institutions. 'It is heartbreaking that a child could be subjected to such trauma in a place meant to nurture and protect them,' said Chiloane. 'This incident is a painful reminder of the urgent need to strengthen protective measures in all learning environments and ensure that no child is ever subjected to harm while under our care.' The GDE has committed to offering psycho-social support to the learner and their family. Southern Courier has contacted Mondeor SAPS for further comment. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
29-05-2025
- TimesLIVE
General assistant arrested for alleged sexual assault of grade 2 pupil
A general assistant at Laerskool Dalmondeor in Johannesburg was arrested on Tuesday in connection with an alleged sexual incident involving a grade 2 pupil last week. 'The learner's mother alleges that her child was sexually assaulted by a general assistant on Wednesday, May 21, in one of the school's cloakrooms. The mother reportedly opened a case at Mondeor Police Station the same day,' Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona said on Thursday. The case was unknown to the school until police arrived to arrest the implicated staff member. 'The circumstances are being investigated by the police. The alleged perpetrator remains in custody, and he will be precautionarily removed from the school,' Mabona said. Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane said he was deeply disturbed by the alleged incident. The department said it took such allegations seriously. 'The safety, protection and psychological wellbeing of all learners remains our foremost priority. 'It is heartbreaking that a child could be subjected to such trauma in a place meant to nurture and protect them. We condemn this alleged act in the strongest terms and call for the law to take its full course,' Chiloane said. He said the arrest took place during Child Protection Week, a period dedicated to raising awareness about the rights, safety and dignity of children. 'It is a painful reminder of the urgent need to strengthen protective measures in all learning environments and ensure that no child is ever subjected to harm while under our care,' Chiloane said.
Eyewitness News
29-05-2025
- General
- Eyewitness News
Grade R learners don't have automatic entry to Grade 1 in same school, says GDE
JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is reminding parents that their children in Grade R do not automatically have admission to Grade 1 at the same school. This comes as some schools don't cater for Grade R, making it unfair to exclude external applicants. The GDE's MEC, Matome Chiloane, said that all Grade R applicants needed to apply when online admissions opened on 24 July 2025. Applicants for grades 1 and 8 will have until 29 August to secure their spots for the 2026 academic year. Chiloane added that this means the BELA (Basic Education Laws Amendment) Act can't be fully implemented, which makes Grade R compulsory for all children, when some schools don't have it. "Up until we get to that point, we know that all our schools have Grade R, we can then start working towards those applications."
IOL News
29-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
Gauteng Education Department announces critical 2026 admission process for Grade 1 and Grade 8
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has announced online admission dates for the 2026 academic year. Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has officially announced its admission process for the 2026 academic year, with reports that the process will run until 29 August Online applications for Grade 1 and Grade 8 will open on July 24. On Thursday, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said while the focus of this year's admission process is on early primary education, he clarified that Grade R is not included at this stage. 'We are not starting with Grade R for now because we have not really, fully implemented BELA (Basic Education Laws Amendment), and not all schools have Grade R classes. Some schools collaborate with nearby Early Childhood Development centres,' Chiloane explained. He said this decision underscores the department's commitment to ensuring that foundational education is available and universally accessible before expanding the admission process to include younger learners. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Over the years, the province's online admissions system has faced many challenges, with parents decrying delays, technical glitches, limited school options, and difficulties for parents with poor internet access or limited digital literacy, as some of the most experienced challenges. On the issue of Grade R, the MEC indicated that parents of Grade R pupils must still apply for Grade 1, even if the child is continuing at the same school, and warned that no late applications will be accepted. 'We prioritise those who apply on time. Late applications, when we deal with them later on in the year, we would have forfeited a single right to identify a certain school that you would have wanted for your child. Even if that school is in your home feeder schools, you will still not get in if it's full, if you have not applied in time,' he added. As a precaution, Chiloane urged parents to apply to a minimum of three and a maximum of five schools to improve their chances of placement, adding that applying for one school does not improve the child's chances of acceptance. He further warned parents not to fall for scams that demand payment for assistance with the application process. 'There's no one who will guarantee you a space if you give them money. Those people you must bring them to me because we don't charge, it's free, it's a right.'
Daily Maverick
23-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
‘Vetting crisis' — thousands of Gauteng scholar transport drivers not screened against offenders list
More than 3,400 scholar transport drivers in Gauteng have not been vetted against the Child Protection Register, exposing pupils to potential risk. While the Department of Education deflects responsibility, parents, industry leaders and the DA have raised the alarm about gaps in regulation, background checks and accountability. The safety of thousands of schoolchildren in Gauteng is under threat after it was revealed that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has failed to vet 3,400 scholar transport drivers against the Child Protection Register, potentially allowing individuals unsuitable to work with children to transport pupils daily. This alarming revelation emerged in a written response by Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane to questions by the DA in the Gauteng legislature. The party has since announced it will report the department to the South African Human Rights Commission, demanding a forensic investigation into what it calls a 'vetting crisis'. According to section 126 (1) of the Children's Act, any person working with or having access to children must be cleared against the Child Protection Register to ensure they are not deemed unfit to work with minors. The Act mandates that institutions responsible for children, including schools and youth care facilities, must ensure thorough vetting before employment. The DA expressed outrage over the department's failure to uphold this law, warning that it exposes pupils to potential abuse, including sexual harassment and access to inappropriate materials. The party also criticised Chiloane for shifting the responsibility of vetting to bus owners. The controversy follows another scandal involving 12 convicted sex offenders who were allowed to continue teaching in Gauteng schools, further highlighting systemic weaknesses in safeguarding measures. 'The MEC should hang his head in shame for endangering our learners' lives by failing to vet drivers who have unrestricted access to children during their daily commutes to and from school The DA will continue to pressurise the Gauteng Department of Education to ensure that all individuals working with our children are properly vetted without any further delay. This is essential to protect our learners from any potential criminal intent that could endanger their future,' the DA's Gauteng education spokesperson, Michael Waters, said. Vetting gaps exposed In his response to the legislature Chiloane defended the department's approach, saying all drivers are required to have valid police clearance certificates and had undergone the necessary security screening as part of the tender process. He insisted that the responsibility for Child Protection Register vetting lies with the private bus companies that employ the drivers. 'The department will request the companies to address this matter,' Chiloane stated. He also revealed that the GDE allocates R1.7-billion annually to scholar transport and works with multiple stakeholders, including the departments of community safety, roads and transport and health, as well as local municipalities, to ensure regulatory compliance. However, Chiloane also said the GDE has not received any formal safety status reports for the vehicles transporting pupils, saying this function falls under the Department of Community Safety. Responding to questions from Daily Maverick, the GDE insisted that it considered vetting 'a crucial aspect for individuals working with children', but added that the responsibility of vetting drivers fell onto the shoulders of service providers. 'All service providers signed service-level agreements, which stipulate that they must conduct vetting of drivers. The department submits a comprehensive list of all drivers to the Department of Justice,' said GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona. He said that once a driver is found to be unfit to transport pupils, the service provider is told to immediately withdraw the implicated driver. Mabona added that the department was in the process of collating all driver information to submit to justice and community safety departments, for the second year of the contract, and that all scholar transport drivers would be vetted by 30 June 2025. Limited screening Sibongile Maseko, the general secretary of the Greater Gauteng Learner Transport Organisation, acknowledged significant regulatory shortcomings in the scholar transport sector. She told Daily Maverick that while the organisation operates under the framework of the National Land Transport Act and the Transport Safety Act, it lacks a formal mechanism to vet drivers for criminal histories. 'There is a policy being developed around an offenders list,' Maseko said. 'That list is currently with the Department of Transport, but as a scholar transport sector, we don't have it on our desks yet.' According to Maseko, the organisation's current vetting process relies on document verification rather than comprehensive background checks. 'Before someone becomes a member, they must present themselves at our offices,' she explained. 'We inspect their vehicle, verify that it is roadworthy and ensure the driver holds a valid licence, a Professional Driving Permit, and ideally an operating licence. However, many operators still don't have one, and we're in the process of helping them apply.' Maseko stressed that while physical documents are reviewed, there is no system in place to screen for prior convictions. 'What we do not have is a system to check criminal records. We only assess at face value. It is something we have been pushing for and we want to be able to thoroughly vet.' She also detailed how local associations function at the regional level. Each region has its own leadership and administrative officers who work directly with drivers. Once a driver passes the initial checks, they are given an official sticker indicating they are authorised to transport children. Beyond that, Maseko said, there is a contractual safeguard between drivers and parents. 'Because this is a door-to-door service, we require that every driver enters into a formal agreement with the child's parent. This contract is provided by the association, signed by all parties, and copies are retained both by the parent and our office,' she said. The organisation oversees about 5,200 drivers across Gauteng. Maseko added that regional associations regularly update their driver databases and submit reports to the provincial office to maintain oversight. Parents in the dark Many parents admitted they were unaware that scholar transport drivers were not vetted against the Child Protection Register. Instead, they often relied on word-of-mouth recommendations from other parents or residents when choosing a transport provider, basing their decisions on factors such as vehicle condition and cost and the driver's perceived reliability. One mother said she goes out of her way to monitor her child's safety each day. 'In the morning I wait until my daughter is in the taxi before I leave. In the afternoon, my older daughter, who's 23 and studying through Unisa, waits for her,' she explained, adding that she's taught both her children about inappropriate behaviour and regularly checks in with her younger daughter. 'I ask her if the driver has ever done anything wrong or made her uncomfortable. Thankfully, she's always said no, but I would feel much better knowing that he had been vetted against the Child Protection Register.' Another mother said she had assumed the drivers were properly screened. 'I thought they would be, because everything seemed very formal and official. They were recommended to us by the school, you sign this contract, and the drivers always look neat and clean,' she said. She acknowledged that, as a working parent, she has no choice but to rely on scholar transport services. 'I can't fetch and drop my child off every day. Vetting would give me peace of mind and it should be standard,' she said. A father said he trusted the driver because the same person had been transporting children in the area for years without any reported issues. 'We know him from the community. He's never given us a reason to doubt him. But when you hear that there's no official check, it makes you worry what if someone slips through the cracks?' he said. 'There should be a national system. You shouldn't have to rely on reputation when it comes to your child's safety.' Another parent said affordability often outweighs concerns about vetting. 'I pick the transport I can afford, and I ask other moms if they've had any problems. That's really all I can do. Most of us don't even think about background checks because we just assume the government is taking care of that part,' she said. She added that she would support proper vetting if it meant her children were safer, and was shocked that this is not already taking place. DM
