“I rushed to the school only to find the hall on fire” – Glenvista high principal

The Gauteng Education Department said learners from the Glenvista High School in Johannesburg allegedly set their school hall on fire on Monday to avoid writing an exam.

Thobile Morgan, principal of Glenvista high said the incident happened yesterday at about 11:05.

“I left the school at 10:45 to attend the directors meeting.”

“As I was busy with the meeting, a teacher came in to inform me that the hall was burning. I rushed to the school, only to find the hall on fire. I then called the fire extinguishers and police. The investigation is still on.” said Thobile. 

Gauteng Education MEC, Mr Panyaza Lesufi, has condemned the behaviour of a group of Glenvista High School learners

“We wish to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the burning of the Glenvista High school hall allegedly by learners who did not want to write an assessment which was scheduled to be written in the hall that afternoon. Investigations into the matter by the SGB are ongoing.”

Fortunately, the fire was extinguished before causing major damage. However; the curtains, projector screen, electrical wiring and PA system in the school hall were damaged by the fire.

“We are devastated to discover that learners could go as far as committing an act of arson, destroying school infrastructure in the process, just to escape an important assessment.

As such, we will not fix the damages caused by this fire. The school must see to finish,” said MEC Lesufi after visiting the school today to assess the damage.

Despite the chaos, the exam went ahead, only this time, the learners had to write it outdoors.

Glenvista high learners share their views following the incident that occurred at the school.

Nwabisa Nkabinde (18) Grade 12

Nqobile Dube (18) Grade 12