A VIEW OF THE WEEK: What were you doing at 11? Not setting fire to a school, I hope

Children will be children … until they set fire to a school.

The Riverlea community was recently rocked by alleged arson at a high school in the area, destroying 11 classrooms and a bathroom block. The fire broke out just days before the school would welcome students back for their second term.

As mobile classrooms were delivered to the school, so learning could continue this week, three 11-year-old boys came forward and were questioned over the fire.

While police and the Gauteng Department of Education could not confirm whether the boys admitted to setting the school on fire, it has thrown the state of oversight and discipline at schools back into the spotlight.

Questions need to be asked about security and infrastructure at a school that allows any arsonists, whether 11 years old or not, access to the premises. There may always be a “hole in the fence” that kids can sneak in and out of, but that should not be accompanied by a blind eye and indifference.

Education MEC Matome Chiloane has rightly raised concerns about the ill-discipline of students and the poor state of teaching at some schools, admitting that this has often led to vandalism by pupils.

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Discipline may begin at home, but it is refined in the community, including in schools. The village that once raised a child has been decimated by poverty, absent parents, and selfishness.

Instead of actively disciplining and developing children, jaded neighbours turn away when they hear trouble, saying it is none of their business. Even police are known to be selective when responding to incidents.

The most heartbreaking is when this attitude penetrates the classroom, with teachers absent or disinterested. Students, impacted by the world beyond the school gate and unable to get the help they need, carry their emotional and social baggage along with their school bags.

When they leave school, they are often in the care of transport drivers whose only motive is to squash as many children in a combi as possible, no matter the state of the vehicle. Many of these drivers, as The Citizen reported this week, are not vetted against the Child Protection Register (CPR).

It is a potent cocktail that not only puts lives in danger but kills the green shoots of hope education provides.

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The fight to get an education at school

The Riverlea community is already plagued with gangsterism, addiction, water and electricity issues that have seen them take to the streets and shut down roads. The only way out of the daily crises they often found themselves in is through education.

But even the most dedicated student faces a near-impossible fight to stay motivated when schools are closed because of failing service delivery, apathy, and then fire.

It is one of many communities across the country where education is earned the hard way.

The Department of Basic Education revealed this week that more than 390 schools across the country are in “very poor” condition. Only 12% are classified as being in ‘excellent’ condition.

Among the challenges are overcrowding, unsafe buildings, and missing infrastructure.

It will take collaboration between the government, parents, teachers, and the community to overcome these struggles. Otherwise, all efforts will go up in smoke.

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