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 Thinking of bunking? Think again...
    November 28 2007 at 12:45PM Get IOL on your
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By Candes Keating

Education MEC Cameron Dugmore warned parents on Wednesday that they faced fines of up to R5 000 if they failed to ensure that their children remained at school until the school year ends on Friday.

Dugmore also warned principals who failed to ensure that pupils pitched up for classes that they would be penalised under the Employment of Educators Act and the Western Cape Schools Act.

Principals who are found guilty could face anything from a reprimand to a fine not exceeding R6 000, a salary reduction or, ultimately, discharge.

'This is a common problem schools face each year'
Dugmore issued the warning after it emerged that thousands of pupils across the province had been bunking school after exams ended last week.

At some schools, no pupils have pitched up since Monday, while at other schools pupils have been on holiday since early last week.
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Dugmore said the department would use the provisions in the two acts to charge principals and parents accordingly.

His spokesperson, Gert Witbooi, said they would contact the district offices on Wednesday to establish where pupils were absent.

"If it can be established that the principals told the pupils to stay at home, then the principals will be charged. If the parents' negligent conduct has allowed children to stay home, the parents will be charged," Witbooi said.

With three days left to the end of term, Dugmore has warned pupils that staying out of school is a breach of the Western Cape Schools Act.

According to the official school timetable, schools close only on Friday.

Dugmore said schools had to use this time to involve pupils in sport or cultural activities.

"I have challenged schools to develop programmes until the last day of the year and to also work with other departments to inform learners of holiday programmes and also try and initiate programmes themselves," he said.

But principals say their warnings to pupils to return to school have been ignored.

At Bulumko Secondary in Khayelitsha, the 1 600 pupils have not returned since Friday, after their last exams.

"There are no learners at school," said principal Victor Mboleka. "When they complete exams, they stay at home.

"This is a common problem schools face each year," he said.

At Cathkin Secondary in Heideveld, classrooms are also deserted.

Principal Humphrey Boughwan said: "None of our 600 learners has returned to school."

Boughwan said they had tried to structure the exams until the last week of term in a bid to force pupils to come to school.

However, as soon as exams were wrapped up on Monday, pupils began their holiday.

At Intlanganiso Secondary in Khayelitsha, the 1 400 pupils also started their holiday earlier.

Principal Willy Maliwa said: "I have no idea what has happened to the learners.

"Since Monday none of them has pitched up."

Maliwa said he had arranged peer education programmes this week but there had been a poor response from the pupils.

Linda Mnotoza, the principal at Nelson Mandela High School in Crossroads, said many of the pupils had already left for the Eastern Cape to avoid the end-of-year rush to the province.

Mnotoza said some pupils would not even come to school on Friday to collect their reports and would spend the holiday unaware if they had failed or passed.

"Most don't worry about their reports.

"We have to keep the reports till next year for them," he said.

Riyaad Najaar, the principal at Princeton High in Mitchells Plain, said it was difficult for teachers to run programmes when they had just a week to wrap up reports and administration duties.

His school had managed to arrange a Grade 11 camp for this week, but pupils from other grades had just stayed away.

Najaar said additional support staff had to be employed at schools so that teachers could implement programmes after the exams.

The director of the Extra-Mural Project, Jonathan Gevisser, who assists schools with extra-mural projects, said there had to be "support for schools because teachers are involved in massive administration tasks" at this time of the year.

He said well-structured and interesting programmes would keep pupils at schools "and out of the streets." - Additional Reporting by Candice Bailey



    • This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Argus on November 28, 2007
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