Africa-Press – South-Africa. Matrics at a Gauteng school had to be moved to another school to take their Life Sciences exam, after parents prevented them from writing following a fatal stabbing there.
On Friday, parents gathered at Qalabotjha Secondary School in Vlakfontein, where a Grade 11 pupil was stabbed to death by a schoolmate on Thursday. They did not want to allow the matrics to go inside to write their exam.
Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said, when they arrived at the school in the morning, a group of parents were already outside the school premises.
“Grade 12 learners were not allowed to write their exams here at the school.
“We as a department had to make arrangements to take them to a neighbouring school so that we could address the parents and members of the community while we allowed the Grade 12 learners to write,” he said.
Mabona said this had been necessary as the pupils could not afford to miss out on writing their final exams.
Prior to the pupils writing their exam, a psychosocial team had been brought in to provide support and counselling to ensure that they were in the right state of mind to write, he added.
According to Mabona, parents who gathered outside the school had not only distracted matric pupils, but had halted school proceedings for the other grades as well.
On Friday morning, News24 arrived at the school to find a group of residents and parents who had gathered outside.
The group headed to one of the classrooms, where a long meeting was held with teachers, ward councillors, police and the department on the growing issues of safety and security at the school.
Allegations are that there was a fight between a group of boys from the school, and that a Grade 11 pupil was stabbed in the chest.
Mabona said:
He added that the fight was believed to be related to gangsterism.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed the incident, but said the motive for the fight could not be confirmed at this stage.
He said a 21-year-old Grade 11 pupil had been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing. He had been charged with murder, and investigations into the matter continued.
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