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| SGB Michelle Ullbricht and Dolie Fisher also SGB member at Lancea Vale Secondary School in Eldorado Park following a fire that destroyed three classrooms. Image: VELI NHLAPO |
The community of Eldorado Park in South Africa is expressing concern about the increasing chaos at their schools, particularly Lancea Vale Secondary School. The school has been accused of gangsterism, which has led to the burning of three classrooms and the arrest of two pupils. The community and school governing body (SGB) have expressed shock and concern about their children's safety, as the violence outside the school premises has become a significant issue.
The Gauteng department of education has suspended pupils involved in shooting incidents at Willow Crescent Secondary and Boekenhout Primary schools. A boy from Kliptown Secondary School gained access to Willow Crescent Secondary School carrying a knife, leading to a confrontation among pupils and the firing of shots on the school premises. Police have yet to arrest anyone in connection with the stabbing incident.
Lancea Vale SGB chairperson Michelle Ullbricht said that the growing violence at the school is causing parents to be angry and question why their own children are damaging their infrastructure. She emphasized the need for intervention and changes in the school environment, as well as the influence of substance abuse and other community challenges on students.
To address the growing violence at the school, the SGB hopes to add more security to the existing seven guards. They believe that when there is a fight, some children from other schools will jump into the schoolyard, making it difficult to control the situation. They are requesting more security so that someone patrols the fence all the time.
A teacher believes that the torching of the classrooms was in retaliation to strict weapon searches the school was now conducting due to rising incidents of violence. She believes that children are getting out of hand, bringing guns and knives to school, threatening one another, and that gangsters are also to blame because they influence these pupils.
A concerned community member stated that the school's pupils often commit crimes just outside its fences, such as stealing Ubers or hijacking them. The community is calling for intervention and change to address the issue at Eldorado Park schools.
