The North West Department of Education has condemned the burning of a classroom at the Vaal Reefs Technical School outside Orkney.
The incident took place on Wednesday, during a matric learners’ festival called 40 days of corruption – an annual tradition the learners use to celebrate the last days of the academic year before the final exam.
It is alleged that the learners set fire to one of the classrooms as part of the celebration.
According to the North West Education Department spokesperson Mphata Molokwane, the celebration is an old tradition but does not include the burning of school property.
“This culture has been happening for years, though it was not the burning of the buildings. Learners were celebrating their 40 days before final examinations in a good manner, not this 40 days of anarchy before final exams. As the department we condemn this act of damage to property because other learners need those buildings as their learning space,” he said.
Molokwane said the cost of the damage was estimated at around R50 000 and that the school principal has already issued notices of suspension to the learners who are believed to be behind the burning of the classroom.
The Vaal Reefs Technical High School’s Governing Body said the incident this week has traumatised the teachers and learners in the lower grades.
.Chairperson of the School’s Governing Body, Mojalefa Qhena said the incident has upset everyone at the school.
“As SGB, we are very disappointed; this is a foreign tendency. It started in our school in 2020, but we were able to contain it; learners would come to school wearing pyjamas on occasion, and we discussed this behaviour with their parents, thinking it would not happen again,”he said, urging learners to concentrate on their studies.
“It has a negative impact on other learners. Around 11 am the school was out, you can imagine when the performance of the school is not satisfying; our school is among the non-performing schools in the province. It is quite disturbing”.
Qhena said several teachers who are suffering from chronic illnesses were affected by the smoke.
“Teachers have been traumatised; some have Asthma and the smoke has negatively affected them, so it is a trauma for them. The school is currently questioning four matric learners accused of involvement in the school’s burning”.
