A viral TikTok ‘schools challenge’ has taken hold of institutions in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and the provincial education department is sounding off the alarm about its potential dangers.
What is the ‘schools challenge’?
The ‘schools challenge’ started off as a popular social media trend, where pupils used various carriers (trolleys, washing baskets etc.) to carry books, to mark the start of the 2022 ‘back-to-school‘ season.
At the time, the trend was a harmless activity. However, by February 2022, the ‘schools challenge’ had morphed into a high-stakes popularity contest that saw pupils taking extreme measures to go viral.
Take, for instance, this video clip taken outside a school in KZN. It is unclear at what time of the school day the challenge was recorded, but a large group of pupils dressed in uniform was seen crowded around a moving taxi, some going as far as mounting the minibus as it tried to pull off.
This video was also apparently also some form of a Tik Tok challenge this week in KZN. https://t.co/PxOBdKBKOC pic.twitter.com/X80fVWQ7iq
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) February 22, 2022
KZN education dept warns pupils against dangerous TikTok trend
The provincial education department has taken note of the viral TikTok trend. Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi warned that the ‘schools challenge’ not only features elements of vandalism, but it also puts pupils lives in danger.
“Even worse, now they climb on top of the roofs that they are not even sure how strong they are. These actions pose danger in their lives because what if the roof collapses with a learner and they get injured or die? I have also seen a video of learners pulling the teacher’s car wipers of, which is wrong,” Mahlambi noted.
Another version of the challenge prompts pupils to carry their books to school in anything but a backpack. Participants of the challenge showed up at school carrying their books in bizarre items, including shopping baskets, washing bins, and travel cases.
@djgupta_rsa Bring anything but not a school bag #bringanythingbutnotaschoolbag #umlandochallenge #djgupta_rsa #amapiano_dance_rsa #goodsounds2022 ♬ original sound – Gedeon
Mahlambi has urges parents to “work with us in trying to stop this chaos.”
“These challenges are dangerous and they waste school time as learners focus on taking these videos instead of focusing on their schoolwork. Learners must use their data in doing their school,” she said.