U-turn on top job for KZN school

PROVINCIAL education officials yesterday back-tracked on a decision to exclude five highly qualified teachers from being considered for the principal’s post at Westville Senior Primary.

“Reluctantly by consent” was how Durban High Court Judge Dhaya Pillay summed up the officials’ attitude to the order she granted yesterday, setting aside the decision to eliminate the five applications and authorising the school’s governing body to now consider all 54 applicants for the job, which became vacant after the suicide of the previous principal in May this year.

The order sets the tone for any further attempts by education officials to sideline candidates for government school jobs for “trifling reasons”.

Attorney Kevin Walker, acting for the governing body, said his client was pleased with the outcome, as it meant every candidate could be considered on merit and it could make the best choice possible in the interest of the children.

He said the department imposed strict procedures to be followed, but, provided that the interviewing committee could be properly constituted, the governing body hoped to come up with a shortlist before the end of the year.

“This would hopefully pave the way for the department to approve one of the candidates before the school opens in the new year,” he said. The governing body made the urgent court application after it was stymied in its interviewing process for the job because it wanted to consider the “sifted candidates” barred by the Education Department – which handled the advertising of the post and qualification checks – for technical reasons, such as not completing forms properly.

Chairman Tim Tyrrell said the interviewing committee had included the five in an initial anonymous adjudication and, from the marking, it appeared that they were some of the top candidates.

The South African Democratic Teachers Union representative had then objected to the continuation of the process.

In line with an order from the court, the department furnished the governing body with their names and application forms.

In a subsequent affidavit, Tyrrell said this was now the proof that their exclusion was not legitimate. Most had more than 20 years’ experience, were heads of departments and former deputies or principals of other top Durban senior primary schools.

While the Education Department initially indicated that it would oppose the application, no formal notice was lodged.

And yesterday it did not oppose the order, drafted by lawyers for the governing body, its advocate claiming “no contest”.

The costs of the application were reserved.