South Africa Launches €5m Tech-Enabled Push to Tackle School Violence and GBV

The approach reflects a growing emphasis on child-centred, inclusive and digitally supported education environments, aligning South Africa with global best practices in school safety.

South Africa is rolling out a technology- and systems-driven national push to curb school violence and gender-based violence (GBV), with €5 million (≈R95 million) in European Union funding aimed at transforming how schools prevent, detect and respond to abuse, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced on Monday.

Speaking at a back-to-school engagement at Eldorado Park Secondary School, the Minister stressed that learner safety is a non-negotiable prerequisite for quality education, calling for a coordinated response involving parents, communities, government and international partners.

“School safety is not a side issue. It is a precondition for quality education,” Gwarube said. “When schools are unsafe, learning suffers. When violence is normalised, we fail our children.”

Data, Prevention and Early Intervention at the Core

The EU-funded programme — implemented in partnership with UNICEF, UNESCO and the Foundation for Human Rights — is designed to shift schools from reactive crisis management to prevention-led, system-based interventions. The initiative will deploy policy frameworks, referral mechanisms, psychosocial support systems and prevention education, supported by data-driven monitoring and community engagement models.

According to EU Ambassador to South Africa Sandra Kramer, the programme will strengthen:

• Early identification and prevention of violence

• School-based psychosocial support, including counselling for traumatised learners

• Improved referral and reporting systems for abuse cases

• Targeted interventions to stop violence before it escalates

The approach reflects a growing emphasis on child-centred, inclusive and digitally supported education environments, aligning South Africa with global best practices in school safety.

A Whole-of-Society Response

The engagement brought together senior education and governance leaders, including Basic Education Director-General Mweli Mathanzima, Gauteng MEC Matome Chiloane, and representatives from international agencies, reinforcing the whole-of-government and whole-of-community nature of the initiative.

Gwarube highlighted that protecting learners is both a national obligation and a shared global responsibility, noting that unsafe schools undermine dignity, mental health and long-term educational outcomes.

From Policy to Practice

As part of the programme, learners publicly committed to safer school environments through a School Safety Pledge, rejecting bullying, digital abuse, gang involvement, substance abuse and sexual harassment. The pledge was signed by learners, educators and dignitaries — signalling accountability at every level.

The Department of Basic Education also outlined complementary reforms, including:

• Strengthening School Governing Bodies

• Training teachers for trauma-informed classrooms

• Addressing systemic risks such as bullying, teenage pregnancy and substance abuse

UN Resident Coordinator Nelson Muffuh welcomed the initiative, emphasising its focus on sustainability, local ownership and long-term institutional capacity.

Call to Action for EdTech, Civic-Tech and Social Innovators

The Department of Basic Education and its partners are inviting EdTech companies, digital safety platforms, mental health startups, data analytics providers and civil society innovators to collaborate on scalable tools for reporting, prevention, learner support and community engagement, helping to build safer, smarter and more resilient schools across South Africa.