Untimely disruption
Youth Pastor of the
Empangeni Methodist
Church - Karl
Rottcher invites the
pupils to air their
grievances
Prefects and pupils
of Empangeni High
School sit side by
side
Cindy
Crouse
SCHOOL tensions
and pupil aggression
were the focus of a
special Community
Police Forum
initiated workshop
at the Empangeni
Library Hall on
Friday.
The meeting was held
to tackle the issue
of violence in
schools by hearing
the pupils’ points
of view, concluding
that they clearly
supporting differing
factions.
Empangeni High
School, Felixton
College, the Old
Mill School, the
Empangeni Christian
School and St
Catherine’s were
asked to send head
boys and girls,
prefects and
outspoken pupils as
representatives.
Although St
Catherine’s declined
on account of exams,
the other schools
complied and over
100 pupils filled
the hall.
After an
introduction by
Community Police
Forum Chairman -
Kevin Sukreben,
Empangeni Methodist
Church’s Youth
Pastor - Karl
Rottcher asked the
pupils to write down
what they thought
was standing in the
way of them
receiving a good
education and with a
show of hands
determined the worst
problems.
Accusations
included:
inefficient
teachers, racism,
corrupt prefects and
drug trafficking.
Solutions
When asked if anyone
had any solutions, a
group of Empangeni
High School pupils
cried ‘war’.
Rottcher explained
that war would not
resolve anything so
they changed their
chant to ‘strike’.
Deon Zeelie, a
member of Empangeni
High School’s
Governing Body said
that due to the bad
attitude shown by
the pupils, quality
black teachers would
not stay at the
school.
Rottcher asked
pupils why they did
not use normal
channels such as the
head boy or prefects
to air their
grievances and was
answered with sneers
and derogatory
comments.
Racism
Pupil Nzuzo
Mtshangase made a
comment that
appointing a white
head boy at
Empangeni High
School had been a
racist decision as
he had received more
votes.
The school
spokesperson said
that the head boy
was chosen fairly by
votes and Mtshangase
had been 32 on the
list.
Eliza Kenyon, a
Social Worker for
Nicro explained the
consequences of
violence and
described life in
prison, pointing out
that it is not as
glamorous as in the
movies.
Eliza works with
released offenders
yet stated that she
felt threatened by
certain of the
pupils present.
The appointment of
present and past
head boys and girls
at Empangeni High
clearly showed no
bias: 2006 Desmond
Jordan and Lee-Anne
King; 2005 Leroy
Sikakhane and
Claudette Barnes;
2004 Michael Matthee
and Cara Warren;
2003 Veli Zikhali
and Lulu Pretorius.
