Six Grade 11 pupils from Gobizizwe Senior Secondary School in Ncise village near Mthatha finally got back to school on Monday following a seven-month fight and intervention by the DA after they were wrongfully expelled for allegedly arriving at school drunk.

I am delighted that these pupils can finally get on with their quest for an education after losing out on an entire academic year.    They have been denied access to learning due to the Department of Education’s shameful handling of the case and officials ignoring legislative prescripts.

Service delivery renewal must be undertaken to eliminate embarrassing stories that tarnish the integrity of provincial government and the department.

Service delivery in certain disciplines of school management and leadership must be unblocked through processes of effective monitoring by competent and capable officials regarding the implementation of policies, procedures and regulations.

More resources in terms of human knowledge should be made available to struggling schools regarding policies to prevent unlawful incidents.

I will continue to pursue this matter to ensure that punitive action is instituted against the school principal, chairperson of the School Governing Body (SGB) and the district education officer.

The pupils were expelled in gross violation of the South African Schools Act and the empty promises made by the department at the expense of these learners are not actions that represent a government that cares.

In contrast, the DA acts on its promises.

I wish Sive Tom, Sizwe Manyifolo, Afika Pulula, Yandisa Nkanuka, Avuma Ncume and Sikelela Bam well with their education and future plans.  Afika plans to be a policeman in order to make meaningful contributions to the fight against crime.

For a picture, click here (Apologies for the quality of the picture)