Parents of Midrand High School Grade 8s have demanded answers from the Department of Education regarding alleged abuse at the school’s compulsory, three-day camp on 11 January.
They have alleged that their children, even though they had been sent to bed late at night after a day of exercising, were woken up at 1am to run laps and do more exercises. “Some were even woken up by having water thrown on them. They had to do exercises that I, as an adult, would battle to do, like the kind of exercises done in boot camp,” said one of the parents.
Some of the daytime exercises allegedly conducted were two-minute planks, squats and burpees. “If they stopped to catch their breath, they had to start all over again. If they asked for a drink of water, they had to start all over again. This was all done in the blistering sun. On one of the days my daughter got home and was throwing up and it looked like she had been in the desert for days,” said the parent.
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The parents also alleged that their children were sworn at. And after the principal allegedly failed to assist them and ordered them to take their children to another school, the parents had a meeting on 3 February at Halfway Gardens to discuss the matter.
Gauteng education spokesperson, Oupa Bodibe, confirmed that the school had been holding orientation camps since 2006, but he denied that any form of abuse had taken place at the camp. “All activities prepared were made to assist in building fortitude and relationships. Furthermore, at no point in time were the kids deprived of any food or drinks. The orientation camp was held at a secure and safe location, where learners had access to adequate food and water,” he said.
