Protest over principal enters 5th week

THE fight for the fall of the newly appointed principal of Austerville Primary, Akesh Singh continues as protest action enters it’s fifth week.

The protest escalated as over 150 protesters took to the streets on Friday, 26 February armed with placards urging residents of Wentworth to take note of what is happening to the school, as well as a hand-over of a memorandum to ward councillor, Aubrey Snyman. Clint Leverton who has been part of the protest since the start said the overall feeling from him and his fellow protesters is overwhelming and the fight will continue for as long as it takes.

“But this will not be at the expense of our children’s education. Teaching will continue as normal but the principal is not welcome and his attempts to enter the school will be stopped. The Education Department is not taking us seriously,” he said. The new principal has reportedly not set foot at school since his appointment.

Every day without fail, parents, community leaders and supporters have sat outside the school with placards calling for educator and also deputy principal, Mrs Ogle to be appointed as the principal.

“She has some 78,000 teaching hours under her belt, as a class teacher some 2,000 pupils has passed through her hands, as an HOD she impacted on some 15,700 and as a deputy principal some 265,000 pupils have passed through her hands. That’s approximately 300,000 lives that have been impacted by her dedication to her profession. It is often said that the persons who teach our children in the foundation/primary phase of education, make a major impression on our children and it is these teachers who begin to nurture their childhood dreams of where or what they want to be one day when they grow up,” added Leverton.

the overall feeling  is overwhelming and the fight will continue for as long as it takes

Muzi Mahlambi, spokesman for the Department of Education said the issue of employment is in the competency of the department and the recommendation made by the school governing body was accepted. “Mr Singh is still employed as the principal of Austerville Primary and protesters and parents must accept this,” he said. In response to the protesters from keeping the principal away from school, Mahlambi said ultimately they are causing the school to lose out on a principal, who is getting paid for a job he being kept away from. “Mr Singh did go to the school once but was chased out by the protesters but we are hopeful that there is an end to this,” he added.