Classes have resumed at Soweto schools following last week’s disruption by teachers, but Gauteng education MEC Barbara Creecy says the return of teachers has been ”uneven”.
”It’s uneven at this point in time and we will continue to do more work to get back on track,” said Creecy as she and community safety MEC Khabisi Mosunkutu conducted a walk-about of schools in the area south of Johannesburg.
This walkabout follows last week’s disruptions to teaching when the education department obtained a labour court interdict declaring an ongoing teachers’ strike illegal.
Earlier this month, teachers disrupted schools in Soweto, Florida, Lenasia and Eldorado Park over grievances about the appointment of principals in schools.
Creecy said the first school they visited on Wednesday was Senoane High School in Soweto where two weeks ago the principal was
assaulted by the teachers.
On Wednesday, ”the situation at Senoane is still quite problematic”.
”There seems to be some tension within the teacher body,” said Creecy.
She said some teachers were out on bail for their alleged involvement in the assault. Others were concerned at what their colleagues had been involved in.
Creecy has called for an independent investigation into the assault and circumstances around it.
Nevertheless, whatever reasons the investigation found to be behind the assault: ”It is not acceptable for people to be involved
in violent actions”.
She said exams needed to resume at the school but, for example, teachers had told her than the photocopy machine was broken and so they could not print exam papers.
An official from the district had been instructed to sort this out.
Creecy said her overall impression was that the situation was uneven as other schools had started writing exams. She said at every stop she had made it clear that teaching was expected to continue.
The MEC added that an investigation into the appointment of four principals that apparently sparked off the protests had showed the process had been flawed.
”So we are setting up a panel to redo interviews.”
Creecy said she hoped to get through the process within the next two to three weeks so that the appointments were made before school resumed after the June-July holidays.
”My understanding is that there are certain requirements for organised labour to observe the [appointment] process.”
Creecy said a longer term problem underlying the disruptions was that it was taking ”far too long” to fill vacancies.
One of the allegations was that one of the principal posts in the area had been vacant for 19 months.
”Obviously that is a recipe for problems.”
She said at Meadowlands High seven exams per grade had been missed. These now needed to be caught up but in such a way that students had enough time to study for them.
Matrics also had holiday programmes during which they could possibly catch up.
Asked whether her interventions would succeed in solving the current problems: ”I’m going to give it my best shot,” said Creecy. — Sapa