By Fahdia Msaka
Some parents at George Dickerson Primary School parents are aggrieved that they are not being given employment opportunities in cooking and preparing food for learners. The parents contacted Grocott’s Mail this week to say they have heard that parents who were hired by the School Governing Body in 2022, have had their annual contracts extended to work again in 2023.
This denies other unemployed parents their opportunity to work, says parent Brenda Marhinus. “I started filling in forms at that primary school for four years ago [for this work]. This year they did call me for an interview, but they didn’t hire me and I have five children that are attending school there”, Marhinus said.
Schools employ some parents to prepare food supplied by the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in South African public schools. With an unemployment rate of almost 40% in Makhanda, these employment opportunities can be helpful in small towns such as Makhanda.
These parents raised their complains to the //Are-ma//Eis Links Royal House who decided to represent them. This then led to the school having a meeting with the department of education to address the queries that were brought forward by the group on 9 May.
Desiree Jack, Senior Headwoman of the Royal Links House in Makhanda, said “they re-appointed the same people of last year, so we came to ask the principal why they appointed the same people even though the Department Of Education (DOE) said that every parent of a child in this school must have a chance”.
The Royal Links group was informed that contracts are allowed to be extended but only for six months and only to train the new staff. The contracts for had already been signed and the parents were told to apply again next year.
According to Malibongwe Mtima, spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Department of Education, “the School Governing Body (SGB) is supposed to appoint meal service [providers]with other parties involved and the people they agreed on should serve for 12 months”.
Mtima added that the school and the SGB can extend the contracts, for continuity purposes, but this should be decided at a formal meeting and minutes must be available that confirm the decision.
