According to reports on Wednesday, 11 February, Ferndale High School suffered a loss when a grade 10 boy fell from the third floor of the school building and died.
The boy had suffered an epileptic seizure before falling from a balcony at the school. Reports say the boy was found in a stable condition and was treated on the scene by a Netcare 911 emergency care practitioner. The boy died while in hospital later that day.
According to News24 Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, tweeted about the incident just after 10 am saying he had received the information from a district director.
Later, Lesufi tweeted: “Sadly, the boy passed on. Once more, we must go and face the family and break the news, it’s too much now. Our sincere condolences to the family, friends and learners at Ferndale High. This is the 11th death since the reopening of schools this year.”
On Monday, the Gauteng MEC for Education announced the deaths of two pupils over the weekend, bringing the death toll in the province alone, to seven within a single week.
“Unfortunately, we started 2020 on a bad note, so many incidents which include death, bullying, violence, torching of schools and some disruptions recorded within three weeks of schools opening on 15 January 2020. It looks like this is an indication of a hectic year ahead. However, we are hopeful that working with parents, we will overcome these challenges,” Lesufi told News24 in an interview over the weekend.
