Parents want Parliament Primary school principal dismissed

The parents and some community members say the principal refused to work with the school governing body (SGB) elected in June and that she set up her own SGB. They say she is leaving parents out of decision-making and is not enrolling grade R children.

The community protested yesterday morning.

Learners and temporary staff moved into the new school and set up in new prefabricated classrooms yesterday. This, after several months learning in a tent and doubling up in classes at Bardale Primary.

Nolitha Foslara, one of the volunteers who taught in the tent and at Bardale Primary before Parliament Primary School was established, says her grade R class and other grade R classes have not been accommodated in the new school in spite of instructions from the Department of Education.

The teachers showed GroundUp a list of 190 grade R children registered for this year. Foslara said her grade R class had more than 80 learners.

Director of Communication at the Western Cape Education Department, Paddy Attwell, said, the department was aware of the strong demand for Grade R places in the area and was attending to enrolment for Grade R in 2016. “The process is not yet completed,” he said.

Foslara said the principal should work with the parents and the elected SGB.

“The community she [the principal] is now isolating are the ones who helped to identify the land where the school was later built and are the ones with children learning there.”

Parents also complain that of some 50 volunteer teachers, who worked with the children in the tent, only two have been employed in the new school. Instead, they say, the principal has employed retired teachers and a caretaker from another area instead of the volunteer caretaker.

Foslara, who has a child in the school, is hoping to be employed at the school herself.

Attwell said the principal had not made the appointments.

“The school currently has 16 teaching posts, including the post of principal. The interim school governing body (SGB) appointed temporary teachers to these posts as an interim measure earlier this year. The department also appointed the principal in a temporary capacity. The principal did not make these appointments. The department will fill these posts in line with the normal advertising and appointment process, including the post of principal.”

He said the principal had not chosen her own SGB. “The original SGB is now governing the school following irregularities in the SGB elections in June. The school will hold new elections at the end of October.”

“The community is divided on support for the principal. Some oppose her, while others support her … Our district office has asked her to remain at Bardale to ease tensions on the issue,” said Attwell.

From left to right parents and their children: Akhanani Jackceni, Thank a Jackceni, Musawenkosi Majiza, Busisiwe Majizo, Zintle Mpintsho, Inam Mpintsho and mother Ntombfuthi Mpintsho. Photo by Masixole Feni.