- Two Year 9 students and a teacher got into a physical fight in a classroom at Glenvista High School in south Johannesburg on Thursday.
- Gauteng Education Department officials visited the school on Friday.
- One parent said several fights broke out between students last Tuesday and Wednesday.
A video clip of a teacher and two students at Glen Vista High School attacking each other using chairs and desks in a classroom has gone viral.
In the footage, a Johannesburg South School student, who News24 believes to be a Year 9 student, can be seen attempting to throw a punch at the teacher.
The teacher then lunged at the boy and during the altercation the teacher fell to the floor. He then stood up, grabbed a chair, and threw the chair after his student. Another student then threw a desk at the teacher.
I can hear other students screaming in the background.
News24 has been reliably told that Gauteng Department of Education officials met with the school's principal, Thobile Morgan, on Friday morning to discuss the incident.
Parents of students at the school expressed anger over the incident, saying there had been several fights between students in the last week and there were problems with discipline.
“There was chaos at school last Tuesday and Wednesday. The students were very unruly.”
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According to parents, the school sent a message to the WhatsApp group on April 17 reminding them of an important meeting the following day to discuss serious concerns regarding the misuse of mobile phones and social media platforms by students.
In a letter distributed to parents, the school said it had responded to a number of incidents in which students created WhatsApp groups and pages on social media platforms to bully their peers and “badmouth each other and their families.” He said there was.
“As a result, we're seeing an alarming amount of fighting.”
Reacting to the video clip, SA National Professional Teachers' Organization (Naptosa) executive director Basil Manuel said it was extremely unfortunate that the teacher had “completely lost his cool” during the incident.
“There must have been extreme provocation in the teacher's reaction. What we want to ask teachers is that because an adult did a certain thing, at the end of the day people focus on the adult and not the child. “I want you to try to resolve this situation so that we can become better,'' he said.
“Still, he was probably pushed to the limit. He's a young man with a whole future ahead of him. I hope this incident doesn't mean the end of his career.”
Mary Metcalfe, professor of practice at the University of Johannesburg, called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
Comments focused on student behavior in a WhatsApp group for members of the National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB).
“This requires serious intervention. These learners need to be reprimanded. Discipline is seriously needed,” one member wrote.
One person said, “Teachers are an endangered species.''
Yet another group member said, “Educators are at risk and really need our support. Being overly protective of learners who behave in this way makes us fearful.” “It will create criminals who will fall into the trap,” he said.
“These misbehaving children did not fall from heaven; they were raised by us overprotecting them. [the] As educational institutions tasked with providing strategic direction to schools, we need to develop clear policies to address this type of misconduct. If we don't get our feet on the ground, the future of this country will be completely doomed. ”
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News24 sent the video clip to the South African Council of Educators (SACE), but there was no comment at the time of publication.
The school said the principal was in a meeting.
Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane said an investigation had been launched to ascertain the details of the incident.
“We take this matter seriously. The safety of everyone on school grounds remains our top priority,” he said.
He added that “violations of discipline” will not be tolerated.
“Schools are for development and not for any other wrongdoing. That is why we are investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident. We will act decisively based on the findings of our investigation,” Chiloane said.
In 2021, Glen Vista High School students who refused to write exams set part of the school building on fire, causing extensive damage.
Curtains, projector screens, electrical wiring, and public address systems were damaged by the fire.
