No teaching at ECape school for a week

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

File photo

Johannesburg - There was no teaching for the past week at Wongalethu High School in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, according to a report on Thursday.

The Dispatch Online reported that teachers fled the school last week Wednesday, during a protest in fear of intimidation from pupils.

The Grade 12 pupils staged a protest after their only mathematics teacher was redeployed to a neighbouring school and demanded his reinstatement.

“We are concerned that in just a few months' time we will have to start with exams and we might fail because we do not have a maths teacher,” head of the Learner Representative Council Lukhanyo Booi said.

“We are forced to meet with our former teacher for lessons after school in groups of 10 to 15. This is strenuous for us and for him.”

Pupils approached the Mdantsane police and the Mdantsane Magistrate's Court to obtain a permit to protest on Monday because they wanted permission to take their grievances to the head office of the provincial education department in King William's Town, according to the report.

The students failed to secure transport to go to the provincial department.

A meeting was organised with teachers, the school governing body (SBG), pupils and parents by the district director of the education department's office in Mdantsane, Sihle Mnguni, the Dispatch Online reported.

“It was more a listening-in session than a meeting, therefore I cannot divulge the details just yet, but we will be engaging with them again,” Mnguni was quoted as saying.

The SGB said parents were concerned that pupils were not learning.

Sapa