PARENTS and communities cannot live in constant fear for the lives of the children they entrust into the hands of their teachers, no matter where, when and how.
This is because they hold the trust of the nation to safeguard this precious national resource, on which the country is dependent for the future, sociologist and parent Xolani Memela said.
Speaking on the back of the shock of the rising deaths of children during school excursions, especially to drowning, Memela said: “It is extremely important to tighten the screws which govern activities, in and out of class.”
He spoke as the country, the education sector, parents and society reeled after the deaths last Monday of 15-year-old Siphamandla Peterson and Sibusiso Sibiya (17) from Daveyton Skills School, who drowned during a discipline camp at Rock Falls Adventure Ranch in Centurion, Pretoria.
The boys died after one of them reportedly rushed to the nearby river as the group prepared to leave, only to be followed by the other in an attempt to save him, and for both to ultimately drown.
Emergency services from the City of Tshwane were called to the scene, but they were unable to resuscitate them.
Memela said anyone who took over the care of children in the absence of their own parents and guardians automatically took on the responsibility to ensure they were safe, no matter where they were.
“The trust we place on teachers and others in the schooling system is the one thing we cannot unlearn, because they have our children for the times during which they are meant to thrive,” said Memela.
That they would return dead bodies to parents could not become the norm, he said.
After conducting preliminary investigations and visiting the families of the teenagers, Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, committed to assisting the parents get to the bottom of the incident. He said he was disappointed that some schools in the province did not take extra precautionary measures to safeguard the lives of pupils during excursions, nor did they adhere to protocols pertaining to applying for excursions with the department.
But, said member of a Centurion school governing body (SGB) Ronald Moonsamy: “We cannot, as parents, sit back and wait on the government to act, as they are generally known to act after the matter. It is up to us the people who are in touch with the day to day activities of our children, to grab the bull by the horns and make sure our children are safe.”
Saying he was part of an active SGB at the school his children went to, he and the other members made sure they were part and parcel of all activities in and around the area: “.....because what they experience outside the school is what they will ultimately take in,” he said.
As such, if there is no swimming in the area there would be no trips to an area where there was water, he said.
School excursions, Moonsamy said, only went ahead if they were satisfied everything - from transport to emergency care to ability and agility, and equipment, was in place.
“Be it a concert, a hike, or even a trip to play sports, we are front and centre in making sure emergency plans are in place, because as a community we are judged by how happy our children are and how they develop in and out of class.”
That the two boys could have rushed one after the other to their death with no adult seemingly in pursuit was a sign of serious neglect, punishable in the harshest possible way, he said.
Chiloane, in his investigation, discovered that the school had not reported, nor sought permission, for the excursion, and for that he said disciplinary action would be taken against those found to have acted negligently and contributing towards the fatal incident.
The agreement among onlookers was, paramedics, lifeguards, and staff members who knew their way in and out of the water, should have been there to jump in in case of any danger.
Speaking on the matter was the Democratic Alliance (DA), which pointed out that for such an excursion to be undertaken, the district, cluster and/or department should have signed off and agreed to it.
The party’s Education spokesperson Sergio dos Santos asked where the adults were when the boys ran towards the river. “Where were those who should have been monitoring their every move,” he asked.
He said while the department said schools had to report trips and ensure pupils were accompanied by able and capable adults, they never did put it down to policy.
“There seem to be no mechanisms in place to ensure this is done. There has to be a system in place, for instance people who can perform first aid, have life saving skills. Not all schools are at fault, but the problem remains widespread, there is a pattern of lack of adhering to reporting lines.”
He said politicians made promises but never followed up, and as much as accidents did happen, it was the responsibility of the authorities to make sure they were as minimal as possible.
Dos Santos said it was very concerning that a school could take children all the way from their school to an area at which they could fall into danger without the permissions they were signed to. “We need to see severe consequences, heads must roll,” he added.
Compliance had to be enforced, beyond just talking, if incidents like this and the January drowning of Grade 7 pupil Latoya Temilton of Laerskool Queenswood in Pretoria, who also drowned during a school excursion, were to be prevented.
Said one parent in response to the news on social media: “Could it have been difficult for an authority to check that the boys knew their way around water, or for the area’s trained lifeguards to watch them like a hawk, to prevent this tragedy,” and this comment was to the agreement of many.