Human Rights Commission report to reveal how protests affect education

The SA Human Rights Commission will on Thursday release a report on the impact of protest-related action on the right to basic education.

The report contains findings and recommendations following a national investigative hearing held from June 13 to 15.

This was shortly after 29 schools were burnt down in Vuwani‚ Limpopo‚ during violent protests by the community over a demarcation dispute.

Schools in the area were shut down for nearly two months due to the protest.

“Having monitored protest action over a period of five years‚ the commission noted with concern the worrying trend that some protests appeared to specifically target schools and other educational institutions‚” said commission spokeswoman Gail Smith.

“Apart from obvious impacts where there is damage to infrastructure‚ and disruption to learning‚ some learners face indirect adverse consequences when protest-related actions are directed at their schools including being prevented from accessing school feeding programs for meals on which they depend.”

She said stakeholders‚ including government departments at national and provincial levels‚ trade unions‚ non-governmental organisations‚ school principals and community leaders were invited to make submissions.

“The hearing was catalysed by the commission’s mandate to children in terms of Section 28(2) of the Constitution‚ which stipulates that a child’s best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child.

“In this regard‚ the commission emphasised its ongoing concern about the impact of public protest related action on the rights of children to a basic education‚” Smith said.

She said‚ while the commission recognised the right to protest‚ that right did not “include that which is criminal or unjustifiably impinges on other protected basic rights”.

Smith said the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders was closely considered during the hearings‚ particularly the measures in place such as codes and guidelines to ensure that roleplayers such as communities‚ leaders‚ and school governing bodies fulfil their responsibility in the context of protests.

– TMG Digital/Sowetan