The high rate of drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and other sexual misconducts are some of the challenges faced by the learners of Lingelethu High, a school just outside East London.
Following reports about huge numbers of learners affected by violence, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse, the school was identified as this year’s recipient of the torch of peace in a bid to promote safety therein.
Lingelethu High School Principal, Nkosinathi Tetani revealed “external forces” as having direct impact on the learners’ attitude and performance with a detrimental ripple effect.
“About 80 percent of the community is living below the breadline plus lack of proper parenting and role models tend to manifest themselves negatively in learners here at school,” he said.
Still on the school’s challenges, Tetani added that other than the school having over 50 orphaned learners due to HIV and AIDS related deaths of parents and other social issues, gangsterism amongst the school going young men was also rife.
“We have cultural challenges of young men with no proper moral guide to the rite of passage of manhood. This means that instead of issues being explained (to male learners) in a proper framework of manhood, they get construed out of context which results to gangsterism and lack of discipline within the school premises by these newly initiates,” he said.
Describing the details of the school’s position to the provincial Department of Education delegation comprising of provincial Education MEC, Mahlubandile Qwase and national Department of Education’s Deputy Director-General (DDG), Gugu Ndebele visiting the school, Tetani petitioned for parents and the department to intervene.
With a 35m percent pass rate for last year’s grade 12 results, Tetani promised some improvement and asked for everyone to be mobilised from foundation phase upwards.
“We are having a lack of support from parents whenever we call for meetings or disciplining of the learners, they distance themselves,” he added.
National Education Department’s Deputy Director-General, Gugu Ndebele came hard on both female and male learners and advocated for them to seize the opportunity of education and not be distracted by other trivial issues.
“When a young girl falls pregnant, you must know that you have altered your future and the reality of it is that whilst you a raise a child, the person who impregnated you continues to study,” she warned.
Lighting the torch of peace in unison with MEC Qwase, Ndebele committed all learners at the school to promise to concentrate on learning, getting active through sports and other activities such as cultural dancing.
“When you are involved in a sporting activity, there is no time for you to do or be involved in bad things,” she told the throng of learners and parents.
Heeding the call for help by Lingelethu High School educators, MEC Mahlubandile Qwase also urged for parents to play ball.
“You have been blessed to have a principal and educators of this calibre who are trying every means to turn around and make the school a conducive place to learn. This community needs mobilisation and (understanding that) everything that happens or does not happen within it affects the internal processes of the school,” he said.
Pledging the departmental intervention to assist the school in its current adverse state, Qwase acceded to the situation of the school as requiring “extraordinary intervention”.
With some of the challenges faced by the school revolving around inability of some learners to read and write, Qwase promised that “another session with all educators of surrounding schools would be organised within two weeks” and that the community would also be part of thereof.
Issued by: Department of Education, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
17 February 2010
Source: Department of Education, Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecdoe.gov.za/)
