Principal’s misdeeds allegedly ‘growing worse’

AS MORE investigators were expected to descend on Grosvenor Girls’ High school yesterday evening, irate parents, school governing body members and teacher unions were demanding the school’s principal be removed, saying her behaviour was getting “progressively worse”.

The Education Department earlier this year launched an investigation into allegations of racism against principal Linda Jorgensen.

It had been reported that Jorgensen allegedly directed racial slurs towards pupils of colour. Pupils also demonstrated earlier this year, after allegedly being ordered to bring their own toilet paper and being charged money for sanitary towels that are supposed to be free.

The chairperson of the school governing body, Lungile Sibiya, said more investigators were going to the school yesterday afternoon.

About two weeks ago, the SGB members held a “heated” meeting with the school principal that lasted for more than two hours.

“As new members of the school governing body who took office in March, she has been treating us like puppets. We are members of the SGB as and when she wants us to be.

“We have not seen the school’s financial records. I have asked that we conduct a forensic investigation into allegations of financial mismanagement but the principal has flatly refused, saying that the investigation will cost too much.

“Many of the parents have lost confidence in the management of the school and are no longer paying the school fees because they are concerned as to what their monies are being used for,” she said.

Thirona Moodley, provincial chief executive of the teachers’ union National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), said they were disappointed with the slow progress of the investigation.

“If there is an allegation she has to answer to, she must do that in a form of a charge. When teachers are accused of wrongdoing, even for a small thing, they are charged.

“The behaviour of this principal is getting progressively worse. The department is allowing one individual to destroy the culture of teaching at the school,” she said.

The school’s deputy principal, who did not want to be named, responded on behalf of Jorgensen and said department policy forbade them from speaking to the media.

“Some of these matters raised are internal matters that will have to be resolved internally or with the help of other stakeholders,” she said.

Department of Education spokesperson Sihle Mlotshwa called for patience, saying the department does not want to take short cuts in its investigation.

“There are problems, but we want to take a decision in the best interests of the school and education,” he said.