MORE than 60 percent of female pupils at Mavalani Secondary School in Giyani, Limpopo, wake up for school from their boyfriends' homes.

The school was in the spotlight last week after 57 pupils were found to be pregnant last month. The youngest pregnant girl is 13 years old.

The school's enrolment stands at 1078 pupils - 382 boys and 696 girls.

Health department spokesperson Cecil Motsepe said a team dispatched last week to the school had discovered that it was normal for pupils to sleep away from home.

Motsepe explained that the majority of pupils, both boys and girls, wake up together and prepare themselves before going to school.

Motsepe said the report also showed that parents had not yet broken the silence around sex-related issues with their teenage children.

Meanwhile, the South African Schools Governing Bodies attributed the scourge of teenage pregnancy at the school to the fact that it was surrounded by a number of taverns.

Provincial chairperson Hitler Morwatshehla said investigations had indicated that pupils from Mavalani drink liquor heavily on Saturdays and Sundays.

"During the research, we discovered that young girls between the ages of 12 and 17 formed the majority of those taking booze on Sundays, a day before school.

"Most of these children became so drunk that they slept half-naked in the streets, making themselves ultimate victims of rape and unprotected sex," Morwatshehla said.

Although learning and teaching was back to normal at the school, principal Meserea Mahungu had not returned to the school since she was suspended by parents on Friday.

This was after angry community members and pupils destroyed the school's property, accusing her of conniving with Sowetan "to tarnish the image of the school".

Provincial education department spokesperson Pat Kgomo said the principal had been advised to stay at home for a while until the situation is conducive for her to go back.

Kgomo said the department will in the meantime engage the community to see to it that learning and teaching continue while parents and the department try to solve the problems plaguing the school.

The SA Council of Educators said yesterday it has set aside five days - from February 14 to 18 - to visit the schools and communities with similar problems in Limpopo.

Sace spokesperson Temba Ndhlovu said the council will meet teachers, parents, pupils and other stakeholders to discuss matters involving the code of professional ethics and to see how the problem facing Mavalani could be overcome.