KwaZulu-Natal - School principals are in a quandary over KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Senzo Mchunu’s unexpected announcement of the abandonment of all school trips for the rest of the year, following the death of 10 pupils at the weekend.
A Celebrate Durban event has had to be cancelled and schools began cancelling their excursions and sports trips on Monday after Mchunu announced on Sunday that he would suspend all school trips, including those relating to matric dances, farewells and sports events, for the rest of the year, following the accident in Bergville on Saturday night.
The Okhombe Primary School pupils died with their driver when their taxi hit a cow before plunging into a river. They were returning from Mnambithi (Ladysmith), where they had participated in a sports meeting.
On Monday, The Mercury saw an e-mail of a notice, from the Department of Sport and Recreation, about one of the Celebrate Durban events – lifeguard activities – being cancelled “due to the moratorium by the department... with regard to learners [going] on excursions”.
The principal of one KwaMashu school said they faced a dilemma. “We have made bookings for an overnight stay at a hotel and transport, and we really do not know what to do now,” he said, adding that he did not know if the hotel would refund them.
Another school, in Inanda, had also made overnight bookings for a trip and organisers similarly did not know what to do.
Children in rural schools were not exposed to the city and they would suffer the most because of the suspension, the principal of a Sundumbili School said.
“Pupils are not happy about the news,”she said.
“I understand where the MEC’s mindset is right now.”
But she gave the example, of her school’s visit to the Gateway science centre this year, saying the pupils had been “wowed”. “The look on some the pupils’ faces was priceless.”
Mchunu has warned that action will be taken against schools that do not comply. However, he also said if schools sent a motivation to the department, permission might be granted for a trip to go ahead.
MPL and DA spokesman on education, Tom Stokes, described Mchunu’s decision to take “such extreme measures” as understandable.
“Unfortunately, it is neither practically possible nor legal for this ruling to be enforced,” he said.
“There are many people who rely on school excursions for their livelihood [they] include transport companies, school tour operators and event centres,” he said, adding that it would have a financial impact and was likely to be challenged legally.
Stokes said the ban would have an effect on thousands of sports fixtures and cultural events that took place every weekend across the province.
He called on principals to be held accountable for the detailed planning and safety aspects of trips taken by pupils and said they needed “to face an enquiry if things went wrong”.
“The MEC needs to ask every principal to submit to their local office, their school’s safety and excursions policy within the next week.” - The Mercury