Minister Grant Urges Parents to Monitor Children's Actions on Guy Fawkes Day

Every year, the Western Cape Education Department receives reports from schools in certain Cape Metropole areas that there is increased absenteeism on Guy Fawkes Day.

Some learners do not attend school in order to participate in activities that are potentially dangerous and irresponsible. These activities include throwing paint on other children when they leave school.

This kind of practice is simply unacceptable and should be condemned by the community.

I appeal to communities to discourage such activities in their neighbourhoods. Not only does it place our children’s safety at risk, it also has resulted in further absenteeism at schools as some learners do not attend school because they fear being attacked or targeted by the other children doing these things.

The WCED has contacted the SAPS and requested that they have high visibility in areas where this practice has traditionally been common, particularly around the schools.

While our schools will manage learners at the school level, we encourage parents to take responsibility for their children in various ways:

• To co-operate and support their schools by ensuring that their children attend school on Tuesday, 5 November, which is a normal teaching and learning day and therefore normal school hours apply.
• To ensure that there is no disruption of schooling by dissuading their children from participating in such activities.
• To ensure that their children are supervised after school hours.
• To monitor their children’s behavior and to check their school bags for any fireworks or other materials such as paint before leaving home. Learners are not permitted to bring any fireworks onto school grounds.

Our primary concern is the continued orderly functioning of our schools and the general safety of all children at a time where irresponsible behavior seems to be the "order of the day".

We should therefore work together to ensure minimal disruption in our schools and communities by discouraging such irresponsible behavior.