The Eastern Cape Education Department said that an investigation is underway into a fight at an East London school which left a learner with a bloodied mouth.
The incident happened at Selborne College on Friday and a photo of the 15-year-old schoolboy with a bloodied mouth and shirt did the rounds on social media.
According to one report, the teenager, according to a relative, claimed to have been beaten up by 15 “white” boys.
In a statement on Sunday, Eastern Cape Education MEC, Mlungisi Mvoko said the department takes these incidents very seriously and “all learners involved in the Selborne College incident will be placed on precautionary suspension with immediate effect.”
He said the suspension was not a pronouncement on the guilt of anybody but is aimed at serving as a “cooling off period”, and to allow the department and the school to conduct and complete their investigations.
The MEC said on completion of the investigation, disciplinary action may follow.
Mvoko said he was also concerned about how the issue had been depicted in the social media.
“Some very unfortunate statements have been made which do not assist with resolving the issue,” he said.
Officials from the Education Department are due to visit the school on Monday.
