Western Cape road safety school teams shine on the national stage

Western Cape schools made the province proud when they took first place in the Special Needs category of the national schools road safety debate competition in Johannesburg this week, and first place in Special Needs category of the national schools Participatory Educational Techniques (PET) road safety competition. The Western Cape Rural team won third place in both the debate and the PET competition. 

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) started the national schools road safety debate competition in 2005. The aim is to teach high school learners road safety and make them aware of the dangers on our roads. The learners who participate in the competition also act as road safety ambassadors. In the provincial round of the competition, schools compete for the honour of representing their provinces in the annual national contest.

In the national debate competition, learners from Jan Kriel High School represented the province in the Special Needs category; learners from Lingelethu High School and Vredenburg High School represented the province in the Rural Category; and learners from Bernadino Heights High School, Sizimisele Technical High School, and Bloekombos High School represented the province in the Urban category. Debate topics included: “the development of an integrated road traffic management platform will substantially contribute to the safety of all road users”, “government’s failure to put in place effective enforcement measures aggravates the level of carnage on our roads”, and “taxi drivers are the main cause of road fatalities”.

PET is a national initiative to develop the road safety skills and knowledge of Grade 10 and 11 learners in three categories: urban, rural and special needs. Over a period of two months, school form PET teams of five members who work together to identify road safety problems in their communities, research possible solutions, and practice presenting their proposed solutions. Participating learners receive training in research and project management. Through the process, learners develop their public speaking skills, build models of their proposed solutions, and become road safety advocates.

In the national PET competition this week, Pioneer School for the Blind represented the Western Cape in the Special Needs category; learners from Sizimise Technical High School represented the province in the Urban category, and the PET Rural category team comprised learners from Umyezo wamaApile High School.