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50 signatures reached
To: Matome Chiloane, Gauteng Education MEC Principal, SGB, and HODs of Kgoro ya Thuto Secondary School
Chiloane: Commit to a Counsellor at Kgoro ya Thuto Secondary School
We are demanding that the Gauteng Department of Education:
- Commit to appointing a full-time counsellor at Kgoro ya Thuto Secondary School
- Provide mental health training for educators and staff to identify and respond to trauma
- Publicly account for how the R8.6 billion allocated for psycho-social support in the 2024/25 education budget is being use and explain why schools like Kgoro ya Thuto still have no counsellors
- Commit to taking a portion from the R8.6 billion psycho-social support budget and allocate it towards establishing safe, private wellness spaces in township schools like those in Ratanda
We are also demanding that the Principal, SGB and HODs of Kgoro ya Thuto:
- Submit a formal request to the Department of Education for a counsellor
- Allocate a room within the school as a safe space for learners in distress
- Work with learners, families and local organisations to build a mental health support network within the school
These are not impossible demands. Some Gauteng schools already have counsellors. The only difference is that they are not in under-resourced townships like Ratanda. The Gauteng Department of Education already has the budget. The question is why aren’t township schools receiving this support?
Our learners deserve dignity. They deserve safety. They deserve someone to turn to when the weight gets too heavy. And now is the time to act.
Why is this important?
Kgoro ya Thuto Secondary School is based in Ratanda, where many learners face poverty, substance abuse, violence, and trauma. Despite these conditions, they are expected to sit in classrooms, focus, behave and pass as if everything is fine.
But learners are not fine.
Some act out and get labelled as disruptive. Others silently stop showing up. Some sit through lessons emotionally numb. All of this is a cry for help but there’s no trained person in the school to respond. No formal support. No safe space.
When a teacher was asked if the school had a counsellor, their reply was:
“I think so. But I’ll have to ask the SBAT coordinator.”
That uncertainty speaks volumes. If staff don’t know who learners can turn to, how will the learners know?
We’ve seen amandla.mobi members win campaigns that restore dignity in education like the fight for free pads in no-fee schools. This campaign builds on that same legacy.
The Gauteng Department of Education’s 2024/25 budget includes R8.6 billion for psycho-social support (Budget source). That money is meant to support learners so why haven’t schools like Kgoro received this help?
If enough of us raise our voices, organise, and put pressure on the Department, they will have no choice but to act. Our learners deserve to feel safe, supported, and heard. And now is the time.