Remove the principal: parents
PARENTS at a Durban school are demanding the removal of the new principal, saying he was improperly appointed.
They held a placard demonstration on Thursday and Friday outside Dr Macken Mistry Primary School in Sea Cow Lake, calling for the removal of the new principal who took office this week.
The placards read: “We demand transparency from the DOE”, “No to new principal”, “Remove new principal” and “Help us make a better future for our kids.”
Parents decided at a meeting earlier this week that they did not want the principal, and would not send their children to school on Thursday and Friday.
In a memorandum to the provincial Education Department, the school governing body (SGB) stated that proper procedure was not followed for the placement of the school principal.
“There were no notices given to the SGB that this position was advertised nor were we notified that the principal was being selected and appointed for the position. Furthermore, the school is in no distress to have warranted the department to have hastily appointed someone without following the due processes.
“As it is procedure, the SGB plays a role in the employment process in the school for fairness, transparency
and accountability,” read the memorandum.
In a letter to the SGB, staff at the school also expressed their dismay regarding the appointment of the displaced principal to their school.
“Collectively, you and our staff have taken this school to greater heights, especially working and co-operating together with the restoration and salvaging of our school after the 2022 floods. Our staff members are experiencing uncertainty and unhappiness as this appointee is from a high school. Furthermore, he is not the SGB choice as the head for this institution.”
Parents alleged that the new principal previously had altercations with pupils and a parent at his previous high school, where he was the principal.
Shailen Harilal, chairperson of the SGB, said they were taken by surprise by the appointment.
“We were just told last Friday of the appointment. There was no consultation with the parent body or staff.
“The department is just shifting him here after problems at his previous school. We fear for our children’s safety as those who were involved in the previous altercation with the new
principal could come to our school,” said Harilal.
Winnie Ntuli, the SGB treasurer, said they were not fighting about who should be appointed.
“It’s the manner in which it was done. There has been no transparency or proper procedures that were followed. This school has been well maintained and run in the past. We want the right leader for the school, as I have daughters here,” said Ntuli.
Sheena Raghunandan, another parent, said they were concerned that the new principal would be unable to maintain discipline.
"Why did the department not follow procedure? Instead it just moved someone here, who had a history of problems, to run a school that has been well run and maintained over the years,” said Raghunandan.
Another parent, Andrew Ebden, said he could not understand how the department chose to move a high school principal to a primary school.
“If proper processes were followed, there would not have been such questions and concerns now," said Ebden.
The provincial Education Department had not responded by the time of publication.