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The DA is calling on the Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi to urgently intervene and resolve a number of issues that are causing a continuous disruption of learning and teaching at Glenvista High School in Johannesburg.

Since the start of the 2022 school year, the school has been facing serious challenges of ill-discipline, fighting and bullying. Some learners have been undergoing disciplinary hearings for bullying the Grade 8 learners after forcing them to do push -ups. A video of this bullying incident went viral on social media.

In another incident, former learners were allowed onto the school premises where they assaulted a learner as well as two other learners and two teachers who tried to stop the assault. A case of assault and trespassing has been opened at Mondeor Police Station.

Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, Khume Ramulifho MPL and the DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Education, Sergio Dos Santos MPL, conducted an oversight inspection at the school. They were shocked to witness several learners kicking, screaming hysterically and crying during a prayer session at the school following allegations of demon possession.

The parents of these learners were called to the school to fetch their children.

Furthermore, the School Governing Body (SGB) has been delaying the process of building four additional classrooms at the school to reduce overcrowding in the classrooms despite the funds for the new classrooms being transferred to the school account.

Parents of learners have expressed their concerns at to the continuous disruption of learning and teaching.

The DA believes that bullying and violence has no place at our schools which are meant to be safe places for all learners. We also call on the MEC to ensure that all these issues are addressed without delay to allow the learners to get the best possible education. We will continue to monitor the MEC’s intervention to ensure that schooling continues at Glenvista High School without any further disruptions.

Issued by DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Education, Khume Ramulifho MPL