BCC’s proposal to withdraw grounds, security staff rejected

PARENTS in Bulawayo have rejected proposals by the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to withdraw grounds staff and security personnel from its schools so that Schools Development Committee takeover the responsibility of paying them.

Council had proposed that SDCs employ their own grounds and security staff but parents said they could not afford that due to other pressing needs at schools.

According to the latest council minutes, the local authority held consultative meetings with parents and proposed to retain the other school support staff among them bursars, senior clerical assistants, caretakers and messengers.

“At the meeting the following was presented to the participants; council withdraws grounds staff and security personnel from its schools, council requested SDCs to provide their own security and grounds staff,” read the report.

Council resolved that the issue be reviewed in 2018 since most schools are committed to funding ECD blocks.

The local authority had stated that it would exempt periurban schools namely Aisleby, St. Peters and Sizalendaba from paying any staff members.

Parents responded that SDCs and the Parents and Teachers Associations were not able to take responsibility for paying any staff members as proposed as they are committed to construction of ECD blocks and other projects.

“A sizeable number said they did not agree outright to the proposal as the economy was not faring well and if council was failing to manage how would they manage themselves,” read the report.

The report said some parents felt this was tantamount to lowering education standards in the city.

“A few schools said they would only hire the grounds staff but the security guards should be the responsibility of council as council police were respected and professionally deployed unlike staff who would be hired by parents.

“The parents argued that such personnel would develop relations with parents leading to lots of thefts as council police were rotated,” read the report.

Councillor Lillian Mlilo said some residents were requesting council to handover schools in 2019.

“Currently the economy was not favourable for the handover. Some schools had outstanding water bills and the staff was behind regarding salaries. There was a need to first clear all these outstanding debts and residents felt that there was a need for the economic situation to improve,” said Clr Mlilo. — @AuxiliaK