Sunday is the deadline for a crisis at Riebeeck East Combined School to be resolved, according to Makana Sanco chair Bongile Singata.
Sunday is the deadline for a crisis at Riebeeck East Combined School to be resolved, according to Makana Sanco chair Bongile Singata.
Makana mayor Zamuxolo Peter rushed to his home town on Wednesday in the middle of the work streams summit meeting at the Graham Hotel on Wednesday after news of protests in his home town of Riebeeck East.
News filtered through later about the predicament of pupils at the school. In a telephone interview yesterday SIngata, who was among the delegation sent to address pupils and parents on Wednesday, said the reason for the protests was that the school had 144 pupils and only five teachers.
Particularly worrying was the fact they had been without a maths teacher since January. "So parents felt they must take up the matter." He said.
District Education Department official Sizwe Betela had named a teacher to be brought from Port Alfred on Monday to help address the school's need.
He said the department's teacher allocation policy didn't take into account the special circumstances of rural schools.
Yesterday, on the second day of protests, Riebeeck East guest house owner Cary Clark wrote to Grocott's Mail in a email, "A promise was made to send an extra teacher on Monday.
"This does not solve the problem. A long term sustainable solution needs to be found with regards to teachers/principal and the future for all grade 10, 11 and 12's, either at this school or another by making transport available to take them to a school in Grahamstown each day or find a weekly boarding facility for them.
"There is no way that these people can afford R100 per day taxi fare per child to Grahamstown and back."
In a telephone interview yesterday district education director Amos Fetsha said the school accommodates 144 children from Grade R to Grade 12.
He said the number of pupils determines the allocation of posts.
Historically the school has had five or six teachers a year, Fetsha said. Grades 1 to 3 were allocated a teacher each.
The remainder of the teachers taught Grades 4-12.
They had five teachers for 2015. "That becomes an impossible situation for effective teaching and learning due to the fact that from Grade 4 upwards it becomes subject teaching," Fetsha said. "The situation is dire now because the principal has just resigned."
The principal was teaching four learning areas for Grades 8 to 12. "Over and above that, another teacher left," Fetsha said. "We've asked the head office for a teacher to replace him."
However, the head office said there was no post at that school except for that of principal. Fetsha said the department advertises principal posts monthly.
"By June that post will be advertised," he said.
"For immediate relief we have sent a request to the head office for a temporary teacher so we can relieve the burden on the teachers at the school." Fetsha said the MEC of Education had called him today "so that we can meet to craft a solution".
Police spokesman Lieutenant Luvuyo Mjekula confirmed that there had been around 50 people at Wednesday's protest.
He said police were at the scene to ensure that the protest was peaceful. Mjekula said there were no incidents of violence reported on the day of the protest.
