Five teachers facing the axe

Poor work ethic at KZN school

FIVE teachers from Amandlethu Secondary School in Amawothi, north of Durban, face being kicked out from their posts for inciting pupils against the school’s principal.

This comes after the province’s Education portfolio committee paid an oversight visit to the school and demanded their removal. The Daily News was present during the committee’s recent visit.

The problems at the school have been ongoing for more than a year, resulting in classrooms being burnt, teachers’ cars being pelted with rocks and the school principal receiving death threats.

Linda Hlongwa-Madlala, committee chairperson, said a poor work ethic at the school had resulted in a poor pass rate. More than half of the school’s matric class of 2016 failed. “They must go,” she said. Hlongwa-Madlala said they would ask the Department of Education to remove the teachers from the school. One of the teachers allegedly refused to work and said he would sit in his car for the duration of the school day.

Conflict between pupils and teachers was also discussed. Some pupils believed they had been unjustly failed, and attacked and swore at other teachers, resulting in tension between the pupils and teachers.

“There needs to be healing between teachers and pupils,” Hlongwa-Madlala said.

She said the group of teachers, known as “the big five”, were the instigators of the mayhem that also led to two classrooms being set alight and teachers’ cars being pelted with rocks.

Delo Sithole, a parent and school governing body member, said they were worried about teacher laziness.

Problems

“The teacher is supposed to raise the children of the community,” she said.

Sithole felt the problems began when some of the Grade 11 pupils learnt they had failed.

“Some of the pupils were so angry that they tore their reports while others cried. They then became violent as they took out their frustrations on the teachers.”

Sithole said some teachers had told pupils they were not supposed to have failed and showed them their correct marks.

It came to a point where members of the school governing body had to take time off work to monitor the school and prevent other violent flare-ups. To try and calm the situation, the governing body met with parents to explain the situation and the reasons for the pupils’ failure, which some understood.

Commenting on those responsible for the violence, Sithole said: “There are people in this school who do not want to see progress.”

A teacher at the school accused of inciting violence, told the Daily News he was being falsely accused. He felt he never had an opportunity to defend himself and also said there was no evidence presented against him.

Teacher Sbo Khoza said pupils failed because they had become more strict about allocating marks. Khoza said teachers had become lazy about capturing marks into the computer system, which meant that some pupils who did not deserve to pass went through.

At the behest of the school principal, Musawenkosi Mlawu, they agreed to be more diligent about inputting these marks. “Of the 418 pupils in Grade 11, only 106 passed,” he said.

He said the problems began because some teachers had told pupils they had passed when they had failed.

Mlawu said he had to explain to pupils and their parents why their children failed, and said he had been traumatised by the events.