Safe Schools Protocol – Everything you need to know

Ministers Siviwe Gwarube and Senzo Mchunu hosted a media launch and signing ceremony for The Collaborative Implementation Protocol on School Safety (“Safe Schools Protocol”) at Parliament, Cape Town on 24 June 2025. The signing of the Safe Schools Protocol is a renewal of a longstanding collaborative effort between the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) to create safe and child-friendly schools for learners.

The revised protocol will ensure that all schools are linked to a local police station and the development of a School Safety Committee made up of the school principal, a staff member acting as a safety officer, a member of the school governing body (SGB) and a police officer from the local police station. This committee will be responsible for making sure that incidents are reported to the police, deploying visible policing in “hotspot” areas especially during high foot traffic times; implementing school-based crime prevention programmes that address Gender-Based Violence, bullying, gangsterism, possession of weapons, and substance abuse.

Additionally, the School Safety Committee will create victim friendly rooms and community response forums to improve support services for vulnerable learners and improve the vetting of staff in schools against the National Register for Sexual offences and Child Protection Register. The protocol will ensure accountability through the provision of an Oversight Steering Committee and quarterly reporting as well as evidence-based adjustments for the implementation of the protocol.

The Safe Schools Protocol aims to create safe school environments though shared responsibility and collaboration between the government, schools governing bodies, the community, and parents to create a safety ecosystem for learners. A workplan with activities such as updating standard operating procedures and joint safety school audits has been developed in accompaniment with the protocol. Minister Siviwe Gwarube commended the Johannesburg West District as collaborative school safety efforts have already begun yielding results. The district has quarterly meetings with police stations that service their schools to create interventions with emerging crime trends.

The next phase of the protocol is to deal with educators listed on the National Register for Sexual Offenders, allowing employers to terminate teachers found on the register in certain circumstances, the Department of Basic Education and SAPS will work closely with Provincial Education Departments to ensure the process is commenced accordingly.

The School Safety Protocol is committed to making school environments safe and removing any blind spots when it comes to learner safety, which is an ambitious yet critical step in making schools safe but can be accomplished when done in tandem with contributions from the Government, Schools and Parents as well as measures to ensure accountability will make South Africa a safe space for all children.