DURBAN - THE parent community of Hartley Road Primary have raised concerns about the safety of the school's 1000 pupils as a café which can be accessed by the public has been opened on the school's premises.
In social media posts circulating, parents expressed their anger over the lack of consultation regarding the café. Parents said the opening of the proposed Woodwork Café would pose a danger to children as criminals or paedophiles could freely gain access to the school.
“There is no need for this at schools. I would expect the school to implement measures to keep our kids safe. This is ludicrous,” wrote one parent, Mohamed Ismail, whose Facebook post was widely shared.
School governing body chairperson Abdur Rahman Desai said the idea to have the café was a fund-raising initiative which was first introduced to parents four years ago.
“It’s for the benefit of the school, and a decision regarding whether it will be open to the public during schooling hours hasn’t even been taken. We will obviously take the views of parents into consideration. The safety of the children is our number one priority,” said Desai.
Tempers flared at a meeting on Monday night, where parents and the school governing body were set to discuss the way forward. Disgruntled parents were perplexed by Desai’s conduct, as he allegedly refused to provide answers about the tenancy of the café, and failed to give a clear indication of how the cafe would operate.
On Tuesday, Desai issued an apology to parents and said he was disappointed in himself, he said, referring to the manner in which he dealt with the concerns of parents.
KZN Department of Education spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa said the department would be against initiatives which disrupted teaching and learning at the school.
“We are not the Department of Economic Development or the department of tenders. Our role is to ensure that our school’s are conducive for teaching and learning. We will look into this matter and find out if proper processes have been followed,” said Mthethwa.