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School authorities discovered dagga and a knife inside his bag and the pupil was taken to the nearest police station.
Picture: iStock
The Gauteng department of education (GDE) has condemned the actions of a pupil allegedly caught in possession of dagga and a knife at Iterele-Senzele Comprehensive School .
According to the department, the incident occurred during a routine school safety check conducted by patrollers and security personnel.
Speaking to The Citizen on Thursday, GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed that security staff were conducting random body searches to prevent illegal substances and dangerous weapons from being brought onto the school premises.
During this operation, students who arrived late were temporarily locked outside the school gate.
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Pupil’s attempt to evade security
“Information at our disposal reveals that the learner refused to cooperate and forced his way into the school and ran straight to the classrooms. Accordingly, the security personnel followed and apprehended him,” Mabona said.
A scuffle ensued as the pupil resisted, broke free and fled the scene, leaving his school bag behind. He was then apprehended
On opening the bag, , school authorities discovered dagga and a knife inside. Police were called to the school and the pupil was taken to the nearest police station in the presence of his parents.
Disciplinary Actions Taken
Mabona confirmed that the pupil had been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.
“The learner was immediately suspended and his disciplinary hearing will be scheduled in due course,” he said.
The department also dispatched a psycho-social support team to the school to assist affected pupils and staff.
Mabona reiterated that schools are a reflection of broader societal issues, which include substance abuse, violence and ill-discipline.
Mabona urged schools to enforce their codes of conduct and called on parents to play an active role in instilling discipline inside and outside school premises.
“We strongly condemn any acts of misconduct which seek to undermine the dignity of our learning institutions,” Mabona said.
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Awareness campaign
To address these challenges, the GDE has embarked on the Quality Teaching and Learning Campaign to create awareness of these issues.
“Our schools are a microcosm of society and what generally occurs in our society finds expression in our schools,” Mabona added.
“We experience societal ills occurring within our school environment, which is evident in learner ill-discipline, learner-to-learner violence, learner-to-educator violence, bullying, gangsterism, drugs and substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and underage sex.”
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