ONE month has passed since the Sarah Baartman District Office, in collaboration with the Sarah Baartman District Community Police Forum (CPF), introduced the Schools’ Marching and Drill Programme, and the initiative is already showing promising outcomes, with noticeable improvements in behaviour among learners at Jeffreys Bay Comprehensive High School.
As previously reported, the Schools’ Marching and Drill Programme was initiated by the South African Police Services (SAPS), based at the police station in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, in 2010.
The programme has continued to expand with an Eastern Cape branch established in 2012 by non-profit organisation Go Big Community Development.
To further add to this expansion in the Sarah Baartman District, the learners at Jeffreys Bay Comprehensive High School were the first to benefit from this empowering programme.
The Chairperson of the Sarah Baartman District CPF, Mieta Williams-Jan, said as an introduction to the programme 47 boys from Jeffreys Bay Comprehensive attended the ninth annual Eastern Cape Schools’ Marching and Drill competition hosted on August 17 and 18 in Gqeberha.
In addition, she said they spent the weekend learning more about the programme at a camp while in Gqeberha.
“The camp was to observe the competition and to restore peace, dignity, respect, and uniformity among them, as most of them belong to gangs in the community,” said Williams-Jan.
She said the negative elements within the gang groups have affected teaching and learning at the school.
Thankfully, with the introduction of the Schools’ Marching and Drill Programme, they have noticed a positive change in each boy.
“The learners got home and were full of excitement. The teachers also immediately picked up some positive behavioural changes in and outside the classroom,” said Williams-Jan.
“The learners are more aware of their neatness and punctuality. They are also more willing to follow and submit to instructions.”
Williams-Jan said that since the learners are focused on preparing for their school examinations, they have slowed down on practice but intend to follow a more rigorous practice schedule at the start of the fourth term.
She further said that by practising they plan to improve their skills and look forward to participating in the 10th annual Eastern Cape Schools’ Marching and Drill competition next year.
