TEN Gqeberha schools have been closed after being hit by a blow of criminal incidents.
A group of robbers shot staff members during break-ins at about 10 schools in KwaZakhele and New Brighton, stealing laptops and cellphones.
Provincial education spokesman Mali Mtima said the alarming trend of gunpoint robberies forced the schools to be closed.
“The incident forced the Nelson Mandela Education District to close the schools and move educators and staff to nearby city school halls for operations. The moved schools are clubbed together in different available school halls in town, currently. This is to ensure the finalisation of preparation for next academic year while averting making schools soft targets,” he said.
These allegedly planned robberies occur while schools are busy with schedules, marking and finalisation of administrative issues including registration of new classes for next year.
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In response to the crimes, a multi-stakeholder meeting involving the education department, police, Community Policing Forum, and civil society groups is scheduled.
“In the meantime, a programme to protect these facilities has been developed with police to ensure their visibility in the identified critical areas for support,” said Mtima.
Former principal of a KwaZakhele Primary School, who declined to be named for safety reasons, said: “It's a calculated move because they know that teachers are busy preparing reports, so they're all gathered in one place at the same time.
Eastern Cape Department of Education MEC Fundile Gade called upon parents and the Gqeberha society to protect all government facilities.
"District psychosocial support has been activated and will take place in these three identified venues for the affected employees. We urge the people of Gqeberha to get involved and work with the law enforcement agencies to protect government facilities in the Metro, including our schools,” Gade said.
