Crucial lessons from Parktown Boys tragedy

As parents and communities in general, we entrust the well-being of our children to school teachers and principals when in their care.

If something goes wrong we rightfully expect those who were looking after them to account.

This is why the nation was outraged when Parktown Boys High School pupil Enoch Mpianzi drowned while on a school camp last year. We demanded answers and justice for his family.

Therefore, the firing of school principal Malcolm Williams, after being found guilty in a disciplinary hearing, seemed justified.

This week, the Education Labour Relations Council ordered that Williams be reinstated after he successfully challenged his dismissal, both on substantive and procedural grounds.

The council’s findings make for interesting reading.

First, it highlights that the tragedy happened against the backdrop of systemic failures across the education value chain.

The department failed to ensure that due diligence had been taken in the approval of this trip.

That it was a usual practice for trips to be approved after they were undertaken points to gross systemic inefficiencies in the department, which potentially undermine the very policies in place to protect children.

Second, the decision to fire Williams appears to have been taken in principle and on the basis of the position he held, as opposed to examining if his actions amounted to personal liability.

The department appears to have been led by public pressure and a need to be seen to be taking action against a perceived culprit.

“The [department] should not be permitted to hold [Williams] accountable for the death of Enoch Mpianzi through unrelated back door methods which paint him as an irresponsible principal whilst deflecting attention away from their serious omissions,” the council’s report reads.

The department may have appeased the public’s need for accountability but failed to thoroughly assess the role of all those who had failed in their duty.

Mpianzi’s death was a result of negligence by several individuals, all of whom should be held accountable for their role in this tragedy.