The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education's response to a violent incident at Centenary Secondary School in Asherville, where three pupils were stabbed, has left parents frustrated and concerned about their children's safety.
Despite departmental intervention, parents claim their concerns remain unaddressed, while racial tensions are being bridged by united parent action.
The department visited the school this week to discuss the issue of school violence that took place.
A fight broke out last Tuesday morning decision by the principal to close the school.
At the time, the department said in a statement: “We have been made aware of the unfortunate altercation that took place at Centenary School in Durban over the past two days, which has reportedly resulted in some learners being hospitalised. The department strongly condemns any form of violence in schools and is treating this matter with the utmost urgency.”
Following this, the department deployed officials to the school this morning to gather facts and engage with all relevant stakeholders, including the school management, pupils, teachers and parents.
However, parents said they were unsatisfied by the reception they received and by the lack of responsibility the school was taking.
“We were there early in the morning but ended up waiting for two hours to be addressed. Only after we made a scene outside the school, did they speak to us. The principal did not even apologise or say anything to us.
“We are not happy. Nothing was resolved, and nothing was discussed that added value to our concerns. None of the parents were heard or responded to when they asked questions. What stood out for me was that the department of education said they would see if they needed to investigate the matter further. It’s ridiculous the way they treated us. We can only imagine how they treat our children,” said a parent.
Another frustrated parent said that nothing much was said by the education department officials or the School Governing Body (SGB).
“The department said and did nothing when we highlighted our concerns and the SGB chairman was quiet. He is supposed to be the link between the parents and the school. Right now the school is open. The department said that all children needed to return to school and that parents should not interfere with the way the school was run. They believe it is safe enough to send our children back to school but I did not send my son back because we are scared.”
The parent also told the POST that the department official said school security should be the community's responsibility.
“They said that the department did not provide security at schools, the community was responsible for security. They are basically saying that they can’t take responsibility if our children are not safe. The whole meeting was unhelpful. They did not propose any resolutions to put our minds at ease. They said only after the investigation was over, would speak to the parents.”
She said regarding the racial tensions at the school, the parents had decided to stand united.
“Black and Indian parents are standing together against the school. We are parents at the end of the day and want the safety of our children. We won’t be divided. We will stand together as one,” said the parent.
The department said they would continue to monitor the situation closely and take decisive action in collaboration with all stakeholders to prevent similar occurrences in the future.