[VIDEO] Protest action calls for principal’s fall
We deserve an answer, and if the chairman of the SGB continues to ignore our pleas we will found out through our own measures - disgruntled parent
A CROWD of parents and disgruntled community members has set up camp outside Austerville Primary School to protest percieved irregularities in the appointment of an under-qualified principal.
The protest which started on 11 January has grown in numbers as many have joined the fight against alleged injustice and possible corruption in the appointment of a new principal. Following the retirement of previous principal Mr Harper, the community has been in a tug-o-war with the school after a post level one teacher was appointed ahead of the current deputy principal has been part of the school body for over 43 years and is qualified for the position.
According to orchestrator of the protest and a parent of a pupil at the school, Andre De Bruin, he was informed of the official appointment of the new principal by a reliable source on 23 December. “I know him as a post level one teacher, who has never held a managerial position such as HOD or deputy principal. How can the interview committee, which is made up of parents of the governing body, recommend him to the Department of Education and bypass the current deputy principal, who is clearly a front-runner and has more experience and qualifications to run a school?” Spokesman for the Department of Education, Muzi Mhlambi clarified to the Sun that the requirement for an educator to apply for a principal’s position is seven years of teaching experience and a teaching diploma, criteria which Mr Singh seemed to have met.
But this does not ally the concerns of De Bruin and the other parents who want to compare CVs from both the new principal and the deputy principal to establish the better candidate.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
“We deserve an answer, and if the chairman of the SGB continues to ignore our pleas, we will find out through our own means,” added De Bruin. When approached by the Sun for comment the SGB chairman, Mr Mbanjwa chose not to comment at the moment.
Ward councillor Aubrey Snyman who has supported the protest, said a lot of questions and speculation was aired on social media as to how the appointment came about. “I believe a proper investigation of the interview committee needs to be conducted. We have an SGB that is fairly new and lacks experience but was given the task of recommendation. I am disappointed in the Department of Education for the lack of seriousness in the matter and I do hope that this will change for the better.” Councillor Snyman said that he has set up meetings with the department to discuss the matter further and hopefully clarity can be obtained.
Since the start of the year, the new principal was only seen once, allegedly escorted by the police as he signed in as official principal. Repeated attempts to contact the new principal on the number given was unsuccessful.
