Following a strike by staff members at the school, Nathaniel Nyaluza principal has been sent on leave while the matter is investigated as the education department fears for his safety.
The department’s provincial spokesperson Mali Mtima confirmed yesterday that Washington Mushwana was on leave.
Following a strike by staff members at the school, Nathaniel Nyaluza principal has been sent on leave while the matter is investigated as the education department fears for his safety.
The department’s provincial spokesperson Mali Mtima confirmed yesterday that Washington Mushwana was on leave.
"Since there were threats with regards to the life of the principal, as the department we have decided to provide him with a leave, as we are investigating the issue and also fearing for his safety," he said.
He added that learning and teaching at the school is taking place as from Wednesday as the department had found a solution to the situation. He also said, the department has arranged a meeting with the all the parties concerned for next week "to ensure that the issue is sorted out once and for all".
He said that the issue which triggered the principal’s leave is the strike of the teachers over an appointment of another teacher. He further said that there is a caretaker principal who is being assisted by the SGB to ensure there is proper running of the school.
When Grocott’s Mail visited the school on Wednesday classes had come to a standstill while teachers, the school’s education development officer Robin Solwandle and members of the school governing body were holding a meeting. A group of learners carrying placards saying, "We want Mushwana back!" stood in protest outside the staff room.
Solwandle said that he does not deal with the media and that reporters should leave the premises without talking to anyone or take any photographs. Contradicting the promise he made on Wednesday, acting school principal Mango Nkwinti refused to comment yesterday on the grounds that he was not allowed to talk to the media.
Ongeziwe Tweba, leader of the Representative Council of Learners said some classes went ahead yesterday but were interrupted by a meeting with the school’s staff which was called by Solwandle. "He told us thatthe district office was trying to find a solution to the problem," she said.
She added that the learners were not satisfied with the fact that the teachers did not give them reasons why they wanted the principal gone. Tweba said the learners will decide their next step after the parents’ meeting which is scheduled for Sunday.
Grade 12 learner Xolelwa Peter said the problem started last month when the teachers fired Mushwana after he appointed a teacher of "foreign descent" to head the school’s Science department instead of a Nyaluza teacher who was also eyeing the post.
"We want our principal back at school to teach us Maths, because we no longer have a Maths teacher since he was removed from school," she said.
She added that the staff at the school have been on strike for about four weeks, protesting against the principal and saying he should go. While classes were consequently disrupted by the strike, Peter said Mushwana continued with his classes at the time.
"For several weeks we saw teachers calling for the principal’s head and nobody bothered themselves by explaining to us why they don’t want him. Instead Mr Solwandle would come to meet with the staff and not with Mushwana," she said.
The students only became aware of what is happening after they organised a protest on Wednesday. When they started demanding the return of the principal, Solwandle told them that the principal had been removed from the school premises for his own safety. She said Solwandle said the department feared that the teachers might hurt Mushwana.
Another Grade 12 learner Masimdumise Tshokwe said he was worried because the June examinations timetable had not been published yet and that no exam papers have been set. "The Xhosa teacher didn’t come to school for the whole term while other teachers came to school on a part-time basis," he said.
Grocott’s Mail was alerted to the crisis by a series of smses received and printed on the letters page last week. One of the smses read: "In Nyasa de teachers are not teaching us & we dont lyk dat.They dont want 2 teach bcz they are getting rid of principal they dont want him."
