LWANDLE | NOMZAMO
Thursday, 18 February 2021 | Tel: 021 853 0211 | Email: Cityvision@helderberg.com
Some of the classes at Umnqophiso Primary School which the SGB alleges the caretaker principal has failled to fix. INSERT: Simphiwe
Zozi, SGB chair at Umnqophiso Primary School. PHOTOS: MZWANELE MKALIPI
LWANDLE: SGB OUSTS ACTING HEAD
School is leaderless MZWANELE MKALIPI mzwanele.mkalipi@media24.com
U
mnqophiso Primary School, the oldest school in Lwandle, is yet to see a permanent principal appointed. The school has been without a principal for more than a year since the departure of Toto Msingizana in 2019. Since then, the school has had a caretaker principal who now has fallen out of favour with the school governing body (SGB). The SGB is, among other things, accusing the acting principal of running the school down. It alleges she failed to maintain the school properly, with broken windows and
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dilapidated ablution facilities. Differences between the school’s acting principal and the SGB became evident last year when she was accused of failing to implement the necessary Covid-19 health protocols (“Parents lock teachers out” City Vision, 11 June 2020). SGB chair Simphiwe Zozi told City Vision the body had no confidence in the acting principal, and called for her to be redeployed to her previous position. “The issue of the school principal disturbs a great deal in terms of school operations as the principal is the head of the school,” he said. “As things stand, the school has no books and there are no sanitisers for learners.” Zozi added the school had not conducted
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any budget. He added that the term of the acting principal had ended in December last year and called for the appointment of a new permanent principal. “As the SGB we don’t need her due to her performance,” Zozi continued. “We need a new principal that can take the school to new heights, as issues we had last year are still not addressed.” Bronagh Hammond, spokesperson for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), said the school’s deputy principal had been acting for a year and three months. “Attempts to finalise the recruitment process have not materialised as they were halted or boycotted by the SGB,” she said. “The WCED is engaging with the school governing body and school management to address
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the current impasse they have. “The SGB is refusing to allow the deputy to continue, and will not allow her to enter. In the interim the WCED has requested the deputy report to the district office. Our priority is to ensure the safety of all learners and educators at the school, and that teaching and learning continue.” Hammond said the post has been readvertised, and “we are hopeful there will be no further delaying of the process by the SGB”. Zozi said the department’s stance was premature, as it had no tangible evidence that the governing body is to blame for the issue of the school principal. He said community structures and political parties would soon host a meeting to discuss the way forward.
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