This after a concerned parent wrote a letter, alleging that there were a few irregularities happening at the school. The concerned parent say grade 10 and 11 learners have allegedly not been taught for the past six months; the school has made up grade 12 learners' marks for Computer Applied Technology. The parent also complains about a teacher who has allegedly called learners baboons.

The school has denied these allegations, stating that they have invited the education department to help them investigate the claims. Spokesperson for the education department in the Free State, Howard Ndaba, has confirmed that the department is investigating three allegations made against the school.

Ndaba says: “The first is that grade 12 learners who were doing Computer Applied Technology (CAT) have not been taught since September, because the teacher who was giving the subject had resigned without marking the work already done by learners.”

He added that the department’s subject advisor picked up on the issue, and the department worked together with the school to mark the assignments.

Another allegation was that the principal, who is responsible for teaching grade 10 and 11 learners' Life Orientation, gave learners three question papers with the memorandum, saying that the exam questions will come from those papers, however, he allegedly did not cover the last school term's work.

“When they were writing an exam, he gave learners three question papers and told the learners he will set the exam out of those three question papers, and then he gave them a memorandum. And one of those papers was the exam, and that was in our view, a serious irregularity and misconduct,” Ndaba said.

Ndaba says their investigations revealed that the principal had not covered the last quarter’s work during lessons. The department then recommended that the learners should re-write the exam and that a new question paper should be set.

He added that the exam won’t cover the fourth term's work, as the principal did not cover it during the year.

Ndaba says they are also investigating an allegation of a teacher referring to learners as baboons. “We have recommended to the owners of the school to institute an investigation. Remember, this is a private school. Our role is very limited, but we are recommending to them - this was an irregular activity, this was wrong. We are saying let them investigate,” adds Ndaba.

Seithati Semenokane/OFM News