By JOY HINYIKIWILE
Learning was again disrupted at Mary Waters High School when parents and learners protested teacher absenteeism on Thursday morning. The protestors closed the school’s gate and refused to let anyone in until their concerns were addressed.
They said they were protesting because Matric Mathematics Literacy and Grade 10 Life Orientation classes had not been taught since the start of Term 3. While the LO teacher, who also teaches English, is said to be sick, there was no explanation for where the Maths Lit teacher was.
Parents said they had made countless complaints about the matter, but nothing was done.
The alleged rape of a learner
Meanwhile, police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli Tuesday confirmed that a case of rape had been opened after the alleged rape of a Grade 8 boy by three Grade 10 boys in the school toilet block last Friday. Nkohli said the case was being investigated by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit in Makhanda.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are forming part of the investigation. At this stage, no one has been arrested, but the investigation continues,” Nkohli said.
According to the learners, classes were again disrupted on Wednesday when police were called to the school to explain that a rape case had been opened. Learners say they were angry because it seemed the school had been trying to hide the matter and avoid dealing with it.
However, in a social media post addressed to Mary Waters parents on Wednesday, school administrator said that the boy who alleged he had been raped “confessed to the detectives in charge of his case that he made up the story because he did not want to attend school any more”.
Nkohli was unavailable on Thursday for comment on the statement. Grocott’s will update the details of this story as they unfold.
Ongoing protests
Protests and class disruptions have become a norm at Mary Waters. Earlier this year, protests erupted over the shortage of teachers. In June, the Makhanda High Court ordered the Eastern Cape Department of Education to fill in vacant posts, appoint more educators to the school and make a plan to catch up on lessons for subjects that had not been taught, amongst other things.
This was after Mary Waters educators, represented by the Legal Resource Centre, made an urgent court application against the department on the matter.
During this Thursday’s protest, one parent said: “The problem is that our complaints are never addressed until we protest,” said one parent, who explained that they had tried to engage district officials on the matter but were ignored.
“We are sick and tired of this. They don’t care about this school because their children go to private and former Model-C schools,” shouted another parent.
Learners stated that the situation was making them panic over their academic performance.
“Prelims are in two weeks, and we don’t know what we are going to write,” explained one matric learner.
“This is frustrating because, at the end of the term, we’re given negative marks for work we were never told to complete,” said a Grade 10 learner.
Parents and learners were distraught, but the protests were peaceful. Parents explained their grievances to the school’s principal outside the school while many learners wandered around.
After the discussion, matric learners were instructed to enter the school, and the principal promised to apologise to them. Teachers were then summoned to a staff meeting.
When the other learners were instructed to enter the school, some refused. “Why should we go in when there are no teachers?” asked one learner. “All we’re going to do is make noise and then fight, which is not even a safe situation for us to be in.”
The school’s principal, Alphonso Michaels, denied allegations that Matric Mathematical Literacy learners had not been taught since the start of Term 3. Grocott’s Mail spoke to him the day after the protests and he explained that he had managed to hold a meeting with matric learners after the protests and discussed the Annual Teaching Plan (ATP) with them. During the discussion, they discovered that 90% of the year’s work had been done.
“The learners are left with a small section of their year’s work and it only counts for 15 marks in the final exam,” he said.
According to Michaels, it is not true that the Mathematical Literacy teacher had not been to school since the start of Term 3. The protest erupted because the teacher had not given his learners the ATP, which he was meant to do at the start of the year. The principal says departmental records show that the Mathematical Literacy teacher had only been absent for 22 days this year.
“The teacher’s attendance has only been on and off this term, but much of the work has been covered,” he said.
Michaels did not comment on the alleged rape case; however, he confirmed that the police were in the process of investigating the matter.
Grocott’s Mail will get more comments from the principal and the department as the situation unfolds.
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly named Samuel Wessels as principal of Mary Waters. (Wessels is a former principal of the school.) Alphonso Michaels is the current Principal of Mary Waters High School. Grocott’s regrets the error.
