Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News-2013-06-03

The Gauteng Education Department (GDE) in an attempt to battle tardiness at Willow Crescent Secondary School in Eldorado Park started confiscating one shoe of pupils and instructed them to bring a parent to school to sort out the problem.

Late coming is a major problem at Willow Crescent and to combat the habit, an employee confiscates the left shoe of pupils who arrive late at school.

GDE spokesman Charles Phahlane said, “Latecoming is a matter that we have asked schools and officials to address. Learners should be locked out of school and sent back home. He said the official devised the plan “as a desperate measure to deal with a desperate situation”.

"Learners, however, either do not give their parents letters calling them to school or give false phone numbers so that they cannot be reached. Further, it forces parents to be more involved in their children’s education by being present and having a relationship with teachers and the school. “added Phahlane.

Vincent du Preez the principal of the school said that laziness is a major problem confronting his and many South African schools. “Children want to arrive here, 300 of them, at 9 in the morning. School starts at a quarter to eight. That is not acceptable. We are going to have a nation of lazy people,” he said.

“We need children to enter different markets in the world, the country, but they’re not going to get there if they haven’t completed a school curriculum. So what are we sending out into the world?” Du Preez said.

Willow Crescent teachers said the impact has been immediate. They estimated about half the pupils who used to walk in late now arrive on time in order to avoid walking around all day with only one shoe. – IOL