Concerned parents at Centenary Secondary School, in Asherville, are demanding answers from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (DoE) following multiple violent incidents and alleged mishandling of disciplinary procedures.The department’s failure to attend a scheduled meeting last Thursday at the school, and respond to parents’ concerns, had escalated tensions, while questions about pupil safety remain unaddressed.
The Concerned Parents and Guardians of Centenary Secondary School (CSCPA) – a group formed after an alleged racially-motivated fight at the school on February 4 – was meant to hand over a memorandum to a DoE official at the meeting.
The DoE official was also meant to be present at the school’s internal disciplinary hearing into the February 4 incident.
Kim Pillay, a member of CSCPA, said when they arrived at the school they were told that no DoE representatives were present for parents to address.
“They were supposed to be present but they didn’t show up, nor did they reply to our countless emails. The DoE was at the school on February 7, and promised us answers by March 3. But to date, there has been nothing.
“They are making it difficult for no reason. As parents, we want to be civil in the manner we handled this situation. In the end, we want to ensure the safety of our children,” added Pillay.
The POST also spoke to a distraught parent, who claimed her son was summoned to the disciplinary hearing under the pretense of being a witness.
“Instead he was served a letter for his own disciplinary hearing. This is ridiculous. The letter accused him of allegedly participating in a fight on March 3, initiating a gang fight against a fellow pupil and an alleged assault.
“First, the date is wrong. The fight took place in February. Second, my son helped break up the fight. He was a victim. He was injured badly and sustained a swollen face and bleeding mouth. The school didn’t even contact me on that day to ask how he was.
“About 15 to 20 boys hit him. Yet those perpetrators are walking free while my innocent son was served with a disciplinary hearing notice,” said the angry parent.
Another parent, Fawzia Habibi, whose son was called as a witness, said he was now charged as a perpetrator.
She said all her son’s friends had been involved in the fight because they had tried to break it up.
“My son was badly hurt trying to drag away his friend who was wrongly accused. Apparently, the fight started because the 15 to 20 boys thought my son’s friend was the one who forced another boy to do drugs. But that was not the case.
“They said the bags were the same which is why they hit my son’s friend. On investigation, no drugs were found in the boy’s system, so they hit our sons for no reason.
“My son and his friends didn’t know why they were getting hit. I just want justice for the innocent children. The pupils who did the wrong are not getting called for any disciplinary hearings,” said Habibi.
Andre Pillay, the chairperson of CSCPA, said the pupils were not being treated fairly.
“The perpetrators who stabbed a boy in the head last week are still in school and faced no consequences but those who were victims are being called for disciplinary hearings. They were allowed back while those with no issues are being suspended,” claimed Pillay.
He said the memorandum had been emailed to the DoE.
It read: “We, the Concerned Parents and Guardians of Centenary Secondary School, are writing to express our deep concern and disappointment regarding the lack of progress in the investigation promised by the KZN DoE.
“Despite assurances that an update would be provided to parents by March 3, we have received no feedback to date. A significant number of parents are concerned with the manner in which this matter was handled by the department, and we are deeply disturbed by the lack of transparency and accountability displayed.
"We were assured that our concerns were heard and as per the meeting called by the department on February 7 at Centenary Secondary School, with the parents. We were advised by your representatives that a full and thorough investigation, and evaluation was going to be done into the unfortunate incident.
“The DoE took full responsibility away from the school management. There has been absolutely no feedback given. The recent incident involving the stabbing of a pupil on school premises has highlighted the urgent need for a thorough investigation and accountability. The failure to execute consequences for criminal behaviour has created an environment where such incidents can recur,” read the memorandum.
The parents proposed the DoE provide a formal statement addressing their concerns, and requested a meeting to discuss a way forward.
Pillay asked: “We demand to know what consequences will the perpetrators involved in the incidents, face.Why were they allowed to return to school after the incidents, and what procedure and protocol plan will the DoE implement going forward to prevent such incidents and ensure accountability?”
The KZN Department of Education had not responded by the time of publication.