No end in sight to their woes
Concerned parents responded to the department's response and said the shortage of teachers, especially Afrikaans teachers, was a big problem and must get immediate attention.
POLOKWANE – Westenburg Secondary School is short of eight teachers, but the department of education only approved four posts at the school.
The department requested that the school management sent recommendations on teachers that could be appointed in the four approved posts, but only one teacher was appointed.
In a media statement released last week by the school’s acting principal, Jimmy Steele, it was alleged that the reason the other recommended teachers were not appointed was because they had previously resigned from the department and now they could not be reassigned. The media release also read that if teachers were not appointed soon, the number of learners per classroom would spike to 40 plus learners per class.
Sam Makondo, department of education spokesperson, said the school’s management was given a mandate to recommend teachers.
“Unfortunately they recommended teachers who resigned from the system. The circular issued in November last year clearly states that teachers who resigned from the department can only be rehired under demanding circumstances. Unfortunately, the school acted against the mentioned circular,” Makondo said.
Concerned parents responded to the department’s response and said the shortage of teachers, especially Afrikaans teachers, was a big problem and must get immediate attention.
“The shortage of teachers at Westenburg Secondary School needs to be resolved as a matter of urgency, therefore the department must appoint the recommended teachers, even though they resigned from the system. We do not care if the teachers are appointed permanently or temporarily, as long as there are teachers who can teach our children in their preferred language. The situation at the school cannot continue like this; our children’s futures are at stake and the department better act, before we take action,” was the opinion of most of the parents of Afrikaans-speaking learners.
The parents added that it was time for the mid-year examinations and in some subjects their children had barely done any work in their books.
“If our children fail at the end of the year, who is going to take that responsibility? It will be a year wasted, and all because of politics. Appoint the teachers who are available. They are qualified and can speak both Afrikaans and English. They are the solution to the problem, so rehire the teachers at our school.”
The Afrikaans-speaking learners also told Review that they were very frustrated due to not having teachers.
“We come to school to learn, but without teachers we do not get much work done. Classes are given in English and we do not always understand. Question papers are also in English and we have to write in Afrikaans. When we fail at the end of the year, who is the department going to blame?”
Steele and school governing body chairperson, Eugene Lyle, declined to comment on the matter.
