The tragic death of grade 7 pupil Latoya Temilton has once again brought into sharp focus the safety and care of our children during school excursions.

Latoya, 12, of Laerskool Queenswood in Pretoria drowned while on a day trip to Wag ’n Bietjie Resort on January 20.

It is deeply disturbing and frightening that a child gets dropped off at school for a trip and doesn’t come home alive.

As parents we drop off our children at school entrusting their safety in the hands of teachers and other qualified adults while not in our care.

It is therefore hard to imagine how Latoya’s parents must have felt upon hearing of the tragedy that had befallen them.

Granted, Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane has appointed a law firm to investigate this incident, but the fact remains this tragedy should not have happened. We wholeheartedly support the investigations to bring closure to the family of Latoya on what happened.

We cannot help but draw parallels between this and the unnecessary loss of life of Parktown Boys High School pupil Enoch Mpianzi in January 2020.

He too drowned on a school trip. The principal, Malcolm Williams, was fired, but then later reinstated. The family laid a civil claim but it was later withdrawn after an “amicable agreement” was reached with the department of education.

Both these devastating incidents highlight the importance of holding accountable those in whose care children are left during school camps. In an ideal world, it shouldn’t have to involve courts and legal proceedings.

The onus should be on the authorities to step up and account for these avoidable tragedies. Accidents do happen. This we know. And sometimes all it takes is honesty and transparency about what happened – basic acts of humanity– to give bereaved parents closure.

But more importantly, what these tragedies ought to teach us is that there is a need to develop clear guidelines for schools on how they should ensure the safety of pupils while on school trips or camps. We send our children on these trips to gain leadership and life skills. The one thing these children should not learn is the trauma of dealing with the death of a classmate. A lesson that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.