The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to KZN Education MEC, Kwazi Mshengu (view here) calling for urgent intervention at Glenhaven Secondary in Verulam and Bulwer based Dumabezwe High School following incidents of violence and disruptions to teaching and learning.
Yesterday, police and security companies were dispatched to Glenhaven after footage of a riot went viral on social media. According to reports, learners threw stones at parked vehicles and also broke down four large gates that were recently installed at the classroom blocks before setting them alight.
At the same time, parents at Bulwer-based Dumabezwe held a meeting where they decided to block access to the school. This after the Department allegedly failed to address their grievances, some of which date back as far as 2016.
While these are two very different incidents, both require swift action from MEC Mshengu and his Department. In the case of Dumabezwe, parents claim that:
- The school has had an acting principal for more for more than 4 years which has led to the school becoming ungovernable;
- The school has had no deputy principal for several years;
- Teachers allegedly appear on the school’s payroll despite not having worked at the school since 2016;
- Learners are allegedly being used by teachers to fight their internal battles; and
- Dedicated teachers are being threatened by other educators.
According to DA Bulwer Councillor, Mbuyiseni Phoswa, in 2018 the School Governing Body (SGB) conducted interviews to fill the principal post. However the Department preferred a different candidate which led to a stalemate. The SGB then wrote to the Department in a bid to find a solution. To date there is still no response.
The problems at these two schools are not news to the MEC and his Department. They have been raised on several occasions by the DA, yet nothing has been done. Had the Department intervened timeously, it is quite possible that matters would not have reached the stage they have today.
The DA visited Dumabezwe in August 2018 and raised these same issues with then MEC, Mthandeni Dlungwane yet nothing was done. Clearly the former MEC had no desire to intervene – or was too busy attending to ceremonial matters when what he should have done was intervene before things got out of hand.
The DA expects MEC Mshengu to prioritise this issue. Through his office he has both the time and the resources to prevent the clashes as seen recently and to ensure that teaching and learning resume.
While there is no doubt that many of these problems are known to the Department there seems to be no formal and audited process to approach them – that we are aware of. It is imperative that this is done soonest so that progress can be made and further disaster averted. There are clear areas resulting in the stagnation of dealing with the critical matters at these and other schools. Primary among them are teacher unions and several allegations of corruption that continue to linger.
It is also increasingly clear that there needs to be an assessment of all complaints received from KZN schools over the past year – at the very least – to assess which of the complaints are “chronic and inflammatory” and triage an urgent approach to each one. Such an undertaking can’t be delayed and a mechanism for early detection and intervention is now essential.
The DA has previously proposed that the Department look into the Schools Evaluation Authority [SEA] set up in the Western Cape and to establish an Ombudsperson’s office within the Department. While the MEC rubbished this suggestion at the time, it is clear that this short-sightedness is going to land his Department in hot water in the long term.
The DA remains hopeful that the MEC will take our suggestions on board as we deal with an increasing number of challenges within the school system. It is critical that issues are dealt with quickly and preventive measures in place in the interests of dedicated teachers and learners.