Gauteng Education MEC Panyanza Lesufi is expected to visit the Ferndale High school on Wednesday where a 16-year-old grade 10 pupil died on Tuesday after falling from the second floor of the school building.
It’s understood that the boy learner fell and lost his balance after suffering an epileptic fit. Departmental Spokesperson Steve Mabona says this is the 12th learner to have died in Gauteng since the start of the 2020 academic year.
“We are saddened and do not know what to say anymore as the department. We are lost for words because this is death number 12 if we were to count, since the beginning of the academic year 2020. So it’s quite bad. It’s actually a bad year for us if we were to continue in this fashion.”
The Gauteng Department of Education says it will continue to provide counselling to learners and teachers at Ferndale High School.
On Tuesday, Lesufi said, “It has been a difficult year for us and indeed we are emotionally drained and emotionally devastated and there’s nothing left. Even words are failing us now. One has not taken leave for quite some time and I am acting MEC for social development and during the December period I was the acting Premier and you will recall during the month of January it was the busiest time for the department. So with events that have just unfolded, one has no choice to take a little break to recover and recharge the batteries.”
