No teachers, new school left with 7 pupils
NHLANGANO – Parents have pulled out about 30 pupils in a new school, leaving only seven.
The parents did this after government failed to post teachers over a month later. In fact, all the new schools that started operating this year in the Shiselweni Region have glaring issues that left the parents wondering who was sitting on the job. These schools include Mlotjwa Primary as well as Dlume and Mentiwa high schools.
From late last year and early this year, the Ministry of Education and Training, through the Shiselweni Regional Education Office (REO), announced that the schools would start operating, hence parents who wished to enrol their children in the schools were supposed to secure spaces.
The construction of the schools finished two years ago and one of them was supposed to operate as of the beginning of last year, but did not because the pit latrines were not complete.
It was gathered that at Mentiwa High School, there were at least 35 pupils who were enrolled in the school for Form I, but to date, the school only had seven pupils. All the other pupils are said to have gone to the school for two weeks and after learning that there were no teachers; parents withdrew them and enrolled them in other schools.
The school has one teacher, who was teaching at a nearby primary school, though he has a high school teaching qualification. It was said that there were three other teachers along with the already available one as well as a head teacher, who were waiting for instruments to officially work at the school. “The instruments have not been released by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) as we have been enquiring about them from the REO, who tells us they were waiting for them from TSC,” narrated the source.
The unavailability of a head teacher at the school has resulted in the school not having food for the pupils. It was gathered that the school currently gives the pupils food taken from the neighbouring primary school to feed the pupils.
System
It is worth noting that for a new high school to start operating, there has to be at least four teachers and a head teacher. At a primary school, there has to be one head teacher and a teacher. Also, a new school has to be started by teachers who are already in the system compared to those new in the profession.
At Dlume High, it was gathered that there was a head teacher and only one teacher. The head teacher, it was gathered, was posted to the school last year though the school only started operating this academic year. It was the same situation in this school as some pupils left for other schools, because there were no teachers.
The situation is equally dire at Mlotjwa Primary where the school has one teacher and no head teacher. The pupils go to school and return home having not eaten anything. It was gathered that ordering and collection of food had to be done by the head teacher. In fact, the present teacher was also taken from another school and it is not known where he gets working material like chalk and a pen, among other things, from as they are bought by the school’s head teacher.
It was gathered that some of the teachers who are teaching without instruments intend to go back to their previous schools before they find themselves replaced and without jobs.
Some of the parents who were contacted shared that they were worried about the situation of the schools, because they thought the schools were going to be a relief to them. “Why is government not posting the teachers? Why did they tell us to apply if they were not ready?” wondered one of the parents.
When reached for comment, Shiselweni REO Siboniso Gumbi said the TSC was in a better position to respond about the posting of the said teachers, as they had submitted the necessary documents to them.
Redeployment
TSC Chairperson Amos Mahlalela, when reached for comment, said since the beginning of the year, they had been signing redeployment letters of teachers. He stated that those redeployments were done by the REO.
He then requested this reporter to direct further questions to TSC Executive Secretary Nhlanhla Dlamini, for clarity on this particular issue. Mahlalela said he did not deal with paperwork, but emphasised that redeployment letters were signed on the same day in the commission.
The TSC executive secretary’s phone rang unanswered for the better part of yesterday. This reporter wanted to find out if redeployment letters were signed by the commission.
Dlamini was also to respond to questions of how they would rectify the situation on the ground now that the delay came from their end and when exactly were the teachers and head teachers going to be posted to the schools.