Are teachers under siege?

On the Forum@8 we shine a spotlight on violence against teachers. A week ago, a video showing a pupil throwing what appears to be an exercise book at a teacher in the classroom went viral. In the video the teacher walks out of the classroom. Teachers unions say incidents similar to this one are common in our schools and that teachers are being attacked by learners daily with very little being down to stop this violence. In another incident, A group of teachers is undergoing trauma counselling after being assaulted by learners at Rearabilwe Secondary School in Lehurutse in the North West. Two grade 10 learners, aged 18 and 20, assaulted five teachers after being reprimanded for disrupting teaching by playing loud music on their cellphones. The South African Council of Educators suggest that cameras be installed in schools to curb the violence and learners organisation- COSAS calls for workshops to equip both pupils and teachers on dispute management. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to President of Congress Of South African Students (COSAS), John Macheke,Spokesperson of the South African Council of Educators (SACE), Themba Ndlovu; Secretary of Governors' Alliance, Kathy Callaghan; Spokesperson for the department of basic education,Elijah Mhlanga