31 Mar 2019

The Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane and other senior government officials are expected to visit Lempu Junior Secondary School in Salajwe in the Letlhakeng Sub-district on April 1. 

This followed a heated stakeholder consultative meeting on March 29 where parents called on government to consider closing the school until a solution was found.

Pupils at the school were recently hit by a bizarre illness that the doctors described as mass hysteria.

Most parents said when they took their children from school to care for them at home, they recovered fully, but when they went back to school they fell sick again,  but now with severe symptoms such as blindness, total paralysis of the lower body resulting in most of them not being able to walk.

With the number of affected pupils increasing, parents expressed fear for children’s health and wellbeing arguing that they were not ready to deal with raising disabled children.

Parents also complained that the school management was not taking care of their children specifically those affected.  

They complained that there was no proper consultation from school to parents regarding the welfare of the children or even to brief parents on how pupils were doing from time to time.

One of the parents Mr Thobokwe Selelelabongaka from Kaudwane said his child caught the illness twice, the first time he took the child home and the child recovered.  

He said when he returned to school he fell sick again, a sign that whatever was caused the illness could be within the school premises.  He also sstated that parents too need counseling.

Mr Jobe Kgothang, a parent from Khudumelapwe, pleaded that the school be shut down. 

 He said the situation had worsened.Another parent Ms Mmadikgomo Shomo requested that pupils be taken to other schools to continue with their education because the illness might affect academic performance.

For his part director, for basic education, Mr Ndondo Koolese, explained that the purpose of the meeting was to get updates from both teachers and parents on how pupils were doing.  

He said on behalf of the Ministry of Basic Education they came to give support to the people of Salajwe and surrounding areas.

He told the gathering that it was agreed to involve churches to hold prayer sessions at the school.

However, Mr Koolese he would take advise about school closure to the minister, who was the only one who had powers to close the school.

The school head Ms Barulaganyi Moseki, stated that the bizarre illness started in March 4 where 176 pupils were affected.  

She said affected pupils went through counseling.  Those that went through counselling and had since relapsed were 55 Form Ones, 57 Form Twos and 41 Form Threes.

About 53 who didi not go through counseling were under the care of their parents.

The cause of this sickness was not yet known.

Dr. Keatlaretse Siamisang confirmed that the condition was caused by hysteria and there was no cure save for counselling since there were no clear symptoms showing that there was an organic illness in any part of the body. ENDS