The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) strongly condemns the actions of the Principal and staff at Cool Air Secondary in Mshwathi, who have abandoned learners and other staff in the school by staging a walkout.
According to reports, as many as 30 staff members – including educators, cleaners and security guards – joined the Principal earlier today in a stay away until 7 June.
The school gates have allegedly been left wide open while it is further claimed that school security guards and cleaners have deliberately taken all of the school keys with them. According to the DA’s source, the SGB parent component has been told to “just handle it”.
The DA is aware that parents and the community are already outside the school in protest of what has happened, with images of burning tyres and irate people toyi-toying. This is not the first time that parents are protesting. The issues at this school are deep and were raised with me by DA Councillor Raganie Thomas, who is at the scene and involved with the school as a parent.
The DA raised the long standing issues at this school with MEC Mshengu earlier this year. He assured me that his Department’s governance unit was already investigating serious allegations of possible malfeasance, failure to follow regulations and possible nepotism.
According to the MEC, the unit is also investigating claims of a total disregard for the newly-elected School Governing Body (SGB) – which represents the interests of learners through their parents/ guardians – after members were apparently prevented by the Principal from entering the school and even locked out at one stage. The DA condemns such thuggery. If proven to be true, it must be met with the strongest of actions by the Department.
Clearly, today’s actions by the Principal and many staff members also amounts to an illegal strike and those involved must be taken to task. Their actions demonstrate a complete disregard for learners and their futures. This as they are already facing multiple challenges including shortened school weeks as a result of Covid-19, along with text book shortages and infrastructure issues.
During last weeks’ KZN Education Budget debate, the DA raised the possibility of increased protest action by school educators and highlighted the fact that the province’s DoE remains in the strangle-hold of its social partners. Events at Cool Air Secondary are a clear example of this.
The DA has raised the issue of this school again this morning with the MEC. We welcome his commitment to action. The MEC would do well to heed the DA’s recommendation to establish an authority such as the Western Cape’s Schools Evaluation Authority (SEA) – a body which swiftly intervenes in matters such as this, which are not isolated or infrequent.
Fobbing off this recommendation as politicking will eventually catch up with him and his Department and it is time that serious consideration was given to making sure that our learners are put before the interests of politics and votes that the ANC depends on from the Unions affiliated to it.
Above all, order must be restored at Cool Air Secondary, with teaching and learning resuming without delay. This requires immediate intervention, while internal investigations and steps are taken against those involved.
