Teachers arrive
Breidbach school re-opens after parents’ protest
ASTAND-OFF between angry parents and pupils against a Breidbach Secondary School principal over staff shortages, has led to the arrival of five new teachers and the re-opening of the school yesterday.
Parents had vowed on Friday they would keep the school gates shut and locked to make sure that nobody entered the premises until their demands were met.
Hundreds of pupils, teachers and staff members found themselves locked out of the premises before the start of school for a second day on Monday.
According to South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) secretary Stacey Gosling, the strike action follows after numerous pleas to the department of education (DoE) for the provision of teachers had fallen on deaf ears.
“The DoE is aware that there is a shortage of five teachers at the school and all our pleas, engagements and efforts with them and the school principal have yielded absolutely nothing,” Gosling said.
“I think we were lenient enough and waited on them since the opening of school in January, but it clearly seems it was all empty promises and that they have taken us for a ride.
“We will simultaneously engage with the office of the MEC of Education [Mandla Makupula] on this matter and if we are still not helped, we will have no other option but to approach the national minister.”
The GO! & Express published an article “Teacher dilemma” (February 15 2018) reporting that parents vowed to close the school if teachers were not provided to fill the vacuum of the five-teacher shortage.
This comes after parents and the pupils said they were concerned about the shortage of teachers at the school for economics, geography, life science, mathematics and Afrikaans.
They added that the situation was unacceptable and was depriving their children from their basic right to quality education and was totally contrary to the constitution of the country and Freedom Charter.
Claudine Bossr said: “I am a parent of a child at the school and am also affected by the situation, so I am here to show support and to send out a message that we will no longer tolerate the demise of our kids’ education.”
The school’s head girl Shaan Davids said when she arrived at the school on Friday and Monday, the gates were already locked by the parents.
“The parents have locked the gates because of the shortage of teachers and I personally think their actions partly assist as they feel the pain of their kids not being able to have classes.”
Principal Les Mara, accompanied by his deputy Morris Jagers, told frustrated parents and pupils outside the school premises on Monday morning that the department had informed them they would try to send three teachers by Tuesday.
“We have already been given two teachers and are in the process to engage with another three to fill the vacant posts and are hopeful to have them by tomorrow [yesterday],” said Mara.
The response Mara received from the parents was: “Go and tell the department the gates will remain locked until we see the teachers standing in front of us here where we are standing”.
Equal Education Law Centre community leader Siphosethu Mjolo, who was accompanied by Amanda Rinquest on Friday, also said they were alarmed when one of their members and a pupil at the hostel informed them about the protest action which was taking place at the school.
“We immediately rushed to the school and I think it is fair that the parents stood up for the rights of their children,” Mjolo said.
“I just wish there were more communities in our country that can do what this community is doing to fight for the rights of their children.”
As a province that are always at the bottom of the matric pass rate, do you think there is still room for challenges like these at our schools?” Mjolo asked.