Why are scissors, compasses and dividers being seized at Gauteng schools?

The Gauteng Department of Education has been conducting search-and-seizure operations in schools across the province, targeting the removal of drugs, dangerous weapons, and other prohibited items. While the most common items seized are cigarettes, vapes, drugs, knives, and mirrors, some unusual items have also been found – scissors, compasses, and dividers.

These items, typically found in children's stationery kits, especially for those studying mathematics, have raised questions about why they have been considered prohibited.

The department maintains that the scissors and mathematician's tools were not automatically banned; they were confiscated due to misuse or modification for activities unrelated to learning. South African Schools Act permits the use of required educational materials as long as they are used appropriately. However, the department asserts that an ordinary object might be deemed dangerous depending on its modification, possession, or usage, and the circumstances surrounding its discovery.

The Gauteng Education MEC, Lebogang Maile, led the latest round of operations, in which a total of 123 prohibited items were recovered from six schools. Among the seized items were 43 disposable vapes, 29 pairs of scissors, four knives, and 10 broken mirrors. Department spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana clarified that while ordinary learning materials are not automatically considered prohibited, certain scissors and learning materials found during the raids appeared to have been modified or used in ways that could render them dangerous.

For instance, some scissors were found to have suspected dagga residue, indicating their use in cutting cannabis instead of paper.

Lubhelwana emphasized that the department's actions are guided by the South African Schools Act and national school safety regulations, which aim to keep schools free from drugs and dangerous objects. He clarified that there is no new policy banning scissors or mathematical instruments; the concern arises when these items are modified, misused, or possessed for non-educational purposes.

In this operation, some scissors had suspected dagga residue, while others were deemed unsafe by the South African Police Service (SAPS) based on their condition and context of discovery.

While the department is unable to provide specific figures regarding incidents involving stationery used as weapons, they remain committed to protecting both the right to basic education and the safety of learners and educators. The operations aim to maintain a safe learning environment where students can utilize essential tools for subjects like mathematics while ensuring that modified or misused items do not pose safety risks.