We want Principal Isaacs back, say pupils

Cape Town 160420-Teachers and pupils marched in support of principal Brian Isaacs to Western Cape goverment pic brenton geach

Cape Town 160420-Teachers and pupils marched in support of principal Brian Isaacs to Western Cape goverment pic brenton geach

Published Jul 25, 2016

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Cape Town - While South Peninsula High School principal Brian Isaacs is fighting two separate decisions to dismiss him, pupils at the school are appealing to the education officials to have him reinstated immediately.

And on Tuesday, supporters of the outspoken principal are also scheduled to hold a picket in Cape Town’s city centre where they will call for his return.

Last month, the presiding officer in the first disciplinary hearing against Isaacs recommended a sanction of dismissal. Isaacs has since lodged an appeal against the decision with Western Cape MEC of Education Debbie Schafer.

He had been found guilty on two charges of disrespect or abusive or insolent behaviour towards officials and of giving false statements concerning his employer, in terms of the Employment of Educators’ Act.

Isaacs, who is waiting on Schafer’s decision on his appeal, was told the presiding officer in a second disciplinary hearing against him had also recommended he be dismissed.

“The officer found Mr Isaacs guilty on four charges, including assaulting a learner; improper conduct by calling learners ‘scum’; refusing to allow learners to return to class for eight days; and failure to carry out a lawful instruction to ensure that learners returned to class,” said Paddy Attwell, spokesman at the Western Cape Education Department.

Isaacs was found not guilty on two charges, including improper conduct by referring to pupils as “scum”; and failure to obey a lawful instruction.

These are separate incidents to the ones he was found guilty of.

Attwell said the independent presiding officer, who is a city attorney, had recommended a sanction of demotion, alternatively dismissal if Isaacs refused to agree to demotion.

“If they want to fire me, I will leave with my head held high. Over the past 40 years I have been doing my best and have tried to act in the best interest of the students,” Isaacs has said.

Previously Isaacs said the department was targeting him because he had spoken out against certain policies and decisions it had taken. The department has denied this.

Schafer’s spokeswoman, Jessica Shelver, said Isaacs was also appealing the decision taken in the second case. “The minister (Schafer) has sought legal counsel with regard to the first appeal and will be seeking legal counsel also with regard to the second appeal.”

In their letter, which was sent last week, pupils appealed to Schafer to reinstate Isaacs immediately.

“The reason us students have not resorted to other forms of protest is because it is not the wish of Mr Isaacs that our education be disrupted. Several calls have been made by students and parents to shut down the school until he was reinstated but Mr Isaacs had made it clear that he would dishonour such a move.”

They said Isaacs’s suspension left a void, and appealed to the department “to make a responsible call on the matter”. “Mr Isaacs is only left with less than three years before he exits the schooling system. Given his contribution, he deserves to exit the system with dignity and honour. WCED and the country owe him that.”

Enrico Marinus, the South Peninsula Community Support Commitee’s chairman, said Tuesday’s picket would take place outside the provincial education department.

He said the committee, which was formed after Isaacs’s suspension in March, wanted Schafer to take her decision and see Isaacs reinstated as soon as possible.

The group plan to hand over a memorandum of demands to the head of the provincial education ministry, Bronagh Casey.

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Cape Argus

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