PUPILS STRANDED IN SA TRIP NIGHTMARE

MBABANE – A trip which was intended for adventure, fun and learning turned unpleasant because a booking agency which was allegedly hired to book accommodation for Sydney Williams Primary School pupils vanished into thin air.

 The Grade VI pupils’ trip, which was allegedly set for five days in Durban, was said to be cut short.
This is because the booking agency the school had used was nowhere to be found when the pupils and teachers arrived in the neighbouring country.
The name of the South African agency is known to this publication but will not be revealed as its directors could not be reached.

Cater

According to a parent whose child had gone for the excursion, they (parents) had paid E2 900 per child, which was said to cater for accommodation, breakfast and lunch.

He mentioned that the pupils were supposed to depart on Monday but parents were called prior to the day and were informed that the initial set day was postponed to the next day (last Tuesday).

He mentioned that the person who notified them about the change of date did not explain why the trip had been postponed and this raised eyebrows.
The parent further alleged that after they got to Durban, pupils were stranded as they found that the hotel they were supposed to check into was not booked.
Fortunately, the parent alleged that the school’s head teacher had to withdraw money from the school’s account and send it to the entourage in SA.
The parent claimed that the teachers then found a cheaper hotel to accommodate the stranded children.

 She further alleged that the trip which was supposed to end on Friday saw both teachers and pupils returning on Thursday.
He said he got the shock of his life when his daughter called him at 6pm and asked him to fetch her at the border gate on Thursday.

“I was planning to go to the school this week to enquire about what had happened since we were not given the appropriate feedback as parents.
“Anything could have happened to our children but they kept silent and we saw our children coming back on a day we had not anticipated,” the livid parent said.

Another parent vowed not to release her child to a school trip again as she accused the school’s organising committee of lack of planning.
“The trip was a bad experience for our children.

Planned

“I do not see myself allowing my child to go on a trip planned by the school because this shows poor planning,” the parent lamented.
The parent added that what made the entire experience worse was that pupils had expressed their dissatisfaction in that they did not get to witness the places they were looking forward to see.

The livid parent articulated that the teachers did not bother to inform them but they were told by their children what supposedly went on during the trip. 
“I truly cannot comprehend the purpose of hiring an agency for a trip to the neighbouring South Africa (SA), it really does not make any sense,” another parent said. 

She went on to say the organising committee for the trip could have assigned one teacher to personally go to SA she said her child informed her two days after departure that she had utilised all her pocket money because the school did not cater for meals. 
Another parent expressed her grief on the money she spent on the trip. She said she was hoping the trip would be her money’s worth in that it would cover for food and accommodation.

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