KwaZulu-Natal’s unorthodox plan to fight truancy hangs in the balance
Elders‚ chiefs and indunas are taking to KwaZulu-Natal’s taverns — but not for the reasons you may think. The traditional leaders are actually keeping truant children out of drinking establishments‚ off the streets and in the classroom. They are part of an unorthodox plan by the provincial education department to not only keep kids at their desks‚ but also protect their communities’ schools from thieves and vandals. But there is now confusion over just how far the department intends to take the project. Two weeks ago‚ the head of the education department‚ Enock Nzama‚ waxed lyrical about the idea when President Jacob Zuma was in the area to open a new school building. Nzama vowed to take the plan to all of the province’s 6‚000 schools‚ but it has now emerged that there is no formal framework to dictate exactly how that will operate. Nzama had sung the praises of the relationship with the tribal authority. He extolled the virtues of working hand-in-hand with the tribal authority‚ say...
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