Suspensions draconian
THE suspension of three Maritzburg College boys for holding T-shirts emblazoned with the EFF logo is draconian, especially at a time when matrics are preparing to write the most important exams of their lives.
Every school has a code of conduct as well as the South African Schools Act to deal with disciplinary issues.
The guidelines are there to ensure that pupils and teachers who step out of line are dealt with. There is no doubt that the conduct of the three boys fell foul of the school’s code of conduct, prompting the Pietermaritzburg-based school to institute disciplinary measures. However, taking into account that the incident happened on the matrics’ last day before they went on study leave, the school should have been much more sensitive.
Writing exams is a stressful period for pupils, let alone writing while a cloud hangs over you. Rather than throwing the book at them, it would have been a smart move to call in the pupils to explain their bizarre behaviour.
We live in a highly politicised environment, and the school would be naive to think that their pupils don’t hold strong views about what is happening in our country.
After all, early this year the school experienced a racism incident when a prefect apparently called a black student a derogatory name. Without trying to justify or defend the boys’ actions, their conduct might be a way of lashing out at a world they perceive to be insensitive.
The school must use the unfortunate incident to conduct some introspection. It must not mess with the pupils’ futures, especially when they are right at the end of their high school careers.
What will happen if the disciplinary hearing finds them guilty? Would they be prohibited from writing their final matric exams? Surely that does not make any sense.
We would like to urge the National Department of Basic Education to intervene in this saga to avoid opportunistic political formations from hijacking it for their own selfish motives.
These pupils deserve to write exams without a cloud hanging over them.