A grade was added every year until 1993 when the first Vela matric class received a 100 percent pass rate. In 20 years this has been the two pupils recently caught smoking on the school premises. To us it's a very, very serious offence. We've never had an incident like this. The way the school tackles disciplinary problems hints again at a successful formula where parents play an active role in their pupils' education.
Any correctional measures taken are a joint decision between the school and the parents.
Mniki has been the principal since 1989, but has been involved with the school since its inception in 1981. At the time the Education Department was opposed to the idea of independent schools and, despite appeals for support, subsidies were only granted in 1991. By then two more independent schools had cropped up in Umtata and Butterworth. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that school numbers have dropped to 372. The numbers have dropped because there are many other independent schools that have come up in Umtata, especially at primary school level.