It is not the case that "only" girls experience high levels of sexual violence, nor that they mainly experience it at school or by means of teachers and classmates.

Response to What it's really like to be at school in South Africa, DM, 25 June 2018

There is much to appreciate about Chiara Baumann's 25 June 2018 article. First, Baumann correctly points to the appalling conditions in which the majority of learners in South Africa live, commute and are expected to learn. She also correctly points to the impact of violence on the ability of children to learn, and their understandable lack of willingness to remain in environments in which they are likely to be subjected to more violence. She further highlights the seemingly intractable problem of how to improve time-on-task in schools by not only learners, but teachers too.

Superficial analysis doesn't help us solve problems

Unfortunately, Baumman neglects to speak to the issue of the perceived ROI of completing matric in South Africa when few jobs are available, and the perceived likelihood of finding more...