Bad start to the school year

THE first day of school started off badly for Sebokeng pupils – not only had their school been torched, but a fellow learner tried to commit suicide after he realised he had failed Grade 10.

It’s believed the fire that engulfed the admin block of Khutlo-Tharo Secondary School yesterday was the work of community arsonists. Community members discovered the fire and tried to put it out, but failed because of a lack of water in the area.

The admin block, which included the sick bay, staff room and storeroom, was badly damaged by the fire.

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said the school was positioned to be a school of specialisation focusing on the arts and that most of what it lost in the blaze were music instruments, textbooks and awards.

“Fortunately the school is aware of ‘break-ins’ around here, and they had organised an off-site storage facility for stationery and that is why those materials were not destroyed,” said Lesufi.

The school was declared a crime scene and the pupils had to be dismissed early as investigations were being carried out by police.

Panyaza said Khutlo-Tharo was one of three schools that had experienced attacks in the area.

“The police will deal with the matter and everyone will be a person of interest until they are cleared,” said Lesufi.

The school governing body chairperson, Samuel Maseko, said he found out about the fire when he was called to pick up his child.

“We are not sure about the cause of the fire, we are still waiting to hear what had transpired,” he said.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old learner from the same school tried to commit suicide yesterday after finding out that she had failed Grade 10.

Lesufi said his department’s psycho-social team must develop a strategy to have an advanced team to specifically deal with learners who had failed.

“Remove the report cards of learners that have failed and give it to specialists and they can call in the learners and prepare them psychologically,” he said.

Lesufi said the learner was taken to hospital and had been stabilised.

THE admin block at the Khulto-Tharo Secondary School in Sebokeng was gutted by flames in the early hours of yesterday morning, disrupting the first day of school. | NOKUTHULA MBATHA African News Agency (ANA)