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Truancy blitz

Check: Colin McDonald, principal of Northview High School, smells a pupil's hand. Concerned Balfour Park residents complained that pupils from schools in the area bunk classes and smoke in the streets. Pic. VATHISWA RUSELO. 27/05/2009. © Sowetan.
Check: Colin McDonald, principal of Northview High School, smells a pupil's hand. Concerned Balfour Park residents complained that pupils from schools in the area bunk classes and smoke in the streets. Pic. VATHISWA RUSELO. 27/05/2009. © Sowetan.

AUTHORITIES at some schools in Johannesburg are clamping down on pupils who bunk classes.

AUTHORITIES at some schools in Johannesburg are clamping down on pupils who bunk classes.

On Monday, Sowetan reported how pupils at Northview, Highlands North Boys and Waverley Girls high schools were bunking classes and spent the time on the corner of Louis Botha Avenue and Atholl Road in Balfour Park.

Since then, parents and teachers have come down hard on the pupils.

Yesterday, principals Colin McDonald of Northview High School, Willem van Zyl of Highlands North Boys High School and Clare Tomaselli of Waverley Girls High School have monitored the area frequented by the school bunkers.

They also took a book from each of the pupils who were late for school.

They were accompanied by Tlhage Petlele and Moabi Maropeng of the Gauteng department of education.

The late-comers were shocked and others fled when they saw their teachers waiting for them at their favourite corner.

Most of them were caught and had a book confiscated to avoid giving teachers false names.

On Wednesday evening, parents and their children met department officials at Highlands North High to try and find solutions to the truancy.

During the meeting, a parent of one of the truant pupils who was photographed by Sowetan wept.

Parents said they were grateful that Sowetan had exposed that their children where bunking classes.

Parent Isaac Kungoane said: "As parents we need to come up with a solution to help the pupils."

Disciplinary action will be taken against the truant pupils, and there will be constant monitoring of their behaviour. A joint parents-teachers structure to monitor discipline is also on the cards.

The monitoring of the hiding spot of the pupils will also be reviewed today.

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