Pupils protest school closure
The protest was triggered by the school principal's announcement on Friday that the school will be shut down for good, citing low enrolment figures as the cause
TEACHING and learning came to a halt at Qondindlela High School, outside Nsimbakazi Reserve, uMtonjaneni, on Monday, when learners and community members protested.
The protest was triggered by the school principal’s announcement on Friday that the school will be shut down for good, citing low enrolment figures as the cause.
Pandemonium broke out when learners started rioting inside the school premises, burning tyres and blockading the school’s entrance with rocks.
The protest was joined by community members who expressed shock over the school’s closure.
Speaking on behalf of the parents, Londiwe Sibiya accused the school principal of failing to inform them about the decision to close down the school.
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‘The principal is fully responsible for the low enrolment, because he only prioritised commercial subjects at this school – any learner who does not do commerce cannot be enrolled in this school.
‘Secondly, he refused to take learners from our neighbouring villages. He has a tendency of taking unilateral decisions on matters directly affecting us as parents.
‘His decision to close the school could not have come at a worse time. We have completed our registration, we have bought uniforms for our children, and now this.
‘It is unfair for us to begin looking for new schools for our children at a time like this. This principal is taking us for a ride.
‘Some of us are widows and not working. Where are we to get the money to transport our children to other schools,’ he said.
KZN Spokesperson for the Department of Education, Sihle Mlotshwa, said the school was non-viable owing to low enrolment figures.
‘We are currently engaging with the necessary stakeholders about this matter. The school is not closing this year.
‘We appeal to protesting learners and their parents to cool down.
‘If it is true that the principal said the school was closing, we want to distance ourselves from that,’ he said.
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