Durban - The controversial deployment of a displaced principal to Kamalinee Primary School in Isipingo has caused discontent among staff and parents.
Parents vowed to shut the school if she was not removed. On Friday, attempts by the parents to remove the principal by a placard demonstration failed when officials from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (DOE) intervened.
Donald Naidoo, the School Governing Body chairperson, said the teacher was placed at the school as a principal in January 2018 despite the school already having a principal.
Last year, SGB members wrote to the department complaining that the teacher had been sleeping in her vehicle in the school car park during school hours on numerous occasions, she entered and left the school at her own will, was constantly on her cellphone, did not embark on any form of teaching or extra-curricular duties and spent most of the day sitting in the staff room.
“It was regarded as a temporary deployment. We feel that this serves as a bad example to a school with a band of extremely hard-working teachers. She refused to teach, even when we had a teacher on sick leave,” Naidoo said.
The surplus principal at the centre of the controversy was previously displaced from Assegai Primary School, where she was removed by the SGB after legal proceedings and protests that saw the school gates locked for almost two weeks, in August 2017. The department was granted an interdict against members of the Assegai Primary School Governing Body to stop them from shutting down the school over her appointment. The SGB wanted the acting principal at the time, Odette Abrahams Field, to fill the post - which she eventually did.
Naidoo said complaints to the department had fallen on deaf ears.
“She draws a monthly salary of R40 000 for doing absolutely nothing,” he said.
All provincial government departments are facing budget cuts, as the government reins in spending to manage growing debt. The department, which has a R54billion budget, would lose R2.5bn during the 2019-2020 financial year.
Department spokesperson Muzi Mhlambi said the district offices were investigating the matter.