GEORGE NEWS - On average, two schools are being burgled or vandalised every day. 

These are the shocking details Western Cape minister of education (WCED), Debbie Schäfer, recently shared in a press release about school safety. These statistics also included a school in George, where 10 incidents of burglary and vandalism were reported this year alone.

Bronagh Hammond, director of communications for the department, says they cannot name the school for fear it may become a target again. What Hammond did share was that, because of the trespassing, the school is part of the holiday security programme. "There however have not been any incidents over this past school holiday," she said.

According to the department the damage to the school in the last six months includes piping stolen from toilet facilities, vegetables stolen from the school gardens, irrigation stands and sprinklers stolen, toilet facilities vandalised, locks broken off gates, iron lids stolen off drains, DB boards vandalised and copper piping stolen. Added to this are an attempted break-in at the school hostel and damage to a school vehicle. She said the WCED is in contact with this school in George to work on their access control.

Safe Schools has now linked the school to the local neighbourhood watch and meetings between the school and the local police have been arranged.

Schäfer said in her press release that during the 24 days of school holidays, 14 June to 9 July, 42 schools were either burgled or vandalised. "If we compare these statistics to the same period last year, the number of incidents rose from 27 to 42. This is appalling."

She did a comparative study of statistics of the first half of 2018 and 2019. "When I received these numbers I was even more disappointed. From January 2018 to June 2018, 395 schools were burgled or vandalised. In the first six months of 2019, 471 schools have either been burgled or vandalised. For the period January to December 2018, 768 schools were targeted. Our schools must continue to forge partnerships with local neighbourhood watches and armed response companies, and liaise with their local police stations to conduct additional periodic patrols around their schools," Schäfer urged.