Learners mysteriously go unconscious at school

LEEUWFONTEIN – Teaching and learning at Mahlontebe High School in Leeuwfontein outside Marble Hall within the Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality was adversely affected when learners mysteriously began falling during lessons from last week.

The situation was worsened from Tuesday when the number of learners who went unconscious during lessons increased, sending the school into total pandemonium.

Parents and guardians of the affected learners had to be urgently called to the school to help teachers and staff members resuscitate them, with some having to be done so through ritual performances.

According to eyewitnesses, the learners in question would fall down and start hallucinating when they regained consciousness.

“My sibling who was also affected by the miasma told us that she saw ghosts inside the classroom and passed out. We are still trying to make sense of exactly what happened to her. She has never done this before. We are still shocked,” said the sibling’s brother, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the learner.

On Wednesday morning the school called parents to a meeting to try and find ways of sorting out the mystery but the meeting failed due to different voices and opinions on the matter.

This as some parents blamed the school principal for the taboo, alleging that there had been mysterious incidents at the school since he took over.

“This school has been operating for decades and nothing like this has ever been experienced here, the principal must tell us what exactly is this we are seeing here today,” said a parent who did not want her name published in the paper.

However, other parents thwarted the allegations and said there were people who used the falling of the children to realize their personal vendetta against the school head.

“I wonder how other people think. This cannot be the principal’s responsibility. It is a dilemma which faces all stakeholders involved in the school. Pointing fingers will lead us nowhere,” said another parent.

With groups of guardians and parents showing unruliness within the school premises ahead of the scheduled meeting on Wednesday, the principal locked himself in his office and police had to be summoned to his rescue outside the school premises.

Thomas Mokgotho, School Governing Body (SGB) Chairperson, said the meeting was called to find solutions to the problems the school faced since last week.

Mokgotho said it was disappointing that some became aggressive instead of peacefully partaking in the meeting aimed at helping the learners.

“I fail to understand why other parents specifically want to meet the principal because the matter affects us all,” said Mokgotho.

Tidimalo Cheune, Limpopo Department of Education Spokesperson, said the department was aware of the situation at the school and that the circuit manager and the district director have instituted an investigation into matter for a full report as to what transpired.