Scores of students became disorientated and fainted during general devotion at Oberlin High School on Wednesday.
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A student at Oberlin High School and a parent, Kenisha Phipps
There were chaotic scenes at Oberlin High School in St. Andrew on Wednesday morning after scores of students became disorientated and fainted during general devotion.
Footage and voice notes relating to the incident have been circulating on social media.
The Ministry of Education says it is investigating the incident and will provide details to the public on what transpired at the school.
One of the affected students, who spoke with Radio Jamaica News, said she and her fellow classmates became disorientated during devotion.
"So, we were all up there and we were keeping devotion and they start pray and… the teachers got into spirit, and a girl in 11th grade - she’s a prefect at Oberlin High School as well - she got into spirt. And from that, everybody start faint, basically," the student recounted.
She said she did not know exactly how many students fainted.
"I don’t have a number, but the auditorium of Oberlin High School, that was full, and the nurse's office was full, and the agriculture lab was full, and outside pickney was actually fainting again, over and over," she told Radio Jamaica's Kirk Wright, adding that no one was hurt or had to go to the hospital.
A parent, Kenisha Phipps, said she was shocked by what she saw when she rushed to the school to collect her child.
"When I reach at the school, I saw everybody crying, the students on the ground…other students still a get inna spirit. The security nuh want let in or let out nobody; pickney a jump fence fi come out because dem scared. No teacher nah talk to nobody because…everybody a try fi ketch other pickney weh a drop or a try fi fan dem fi see if dem can get back conscious," said Ms Phipps.
Antoinette Gray, the acting principal of Oberlin High School, later sought to explain what happened at the school.
She said all students and teachers were participating in general assembly in the school yard when two teachers were given an opportunity to share what she calls a "word" with the students.
The principal further noted that she believed some students were "overpowered by the anointing and started to worship aloud". She said others had to be taken to the nurse because they could not control themselves and some had also fainted.
After General Assembly, the students went back to their classes, however, the principal says more of them were brought to the nurse as they were acting abnormally.
The principal said school was dismissed at 10:00 a.m. due to the complexity of the issue.
She provided the details in a letter addressed to a representative of the Ministry of Education, a copy of which was obtained by Radio Jamaica News.
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