Pupils at an Umlazi primary school have gone without lessons for three weeks and have not written their mid-year assessments because teachers have allegedly boycotted classes.
Sizwakele Primary School was virtually empty when The Mercury visited the school on Wednesday, with only a few children in uniforms playing outside their classes.
School governing body deputy chairman Mbongiseni Mkhize said the problem began when two grade R teachers who were allegedly not doing their jobs well were dismissed.
Mkhize said frustrated parents had asked for the two to be removed from the school. “Parents saw that their children couldn’t write their names by the time they reached grade one. Children would also tell us that the two teachers sent them out to play when they were supposed to be in class. Parents called a meeting and the two teachers had a negative attitude towards them,” he said.
Other teachers then abandoned their pupils as well in support of their colleagues.
Mkhize said a meeting was called earlier this month and it was agreed that the teachers, except those who had been dismissed, would return to school. The agreement, however, appeared to have broken down.
“The school originally had about 300 children. We are now sitting with about 175 pupils because many parents have removed their children from our school and have enrolled them elsewhere. We are very concerned because these children should have written their assessments,” said Mkhize.
He said the parents would meet on Sunday and discuss the matter, including the possibility of getting volunteer teachers into the classes.
While the Education Department said it would enrol the children at a neighbouring school, Mkhize said this would not work. He said the children could be knocked down by cars as they would now be required to walk a longer distance along a busy road.
Burden
He added that teachers at the alternate school would not be able to cope with the additional burden as the Sizwakele group, which is behind on lessons, would need extra attention.
Education Department spokesman Sihle Mlotshwa said the Sizwakele teachers were not on strike. He said they felt “unwanted” by the community and were reporting daily to the Umlazi Education Department office.
“The department is dealing with the matter. We are going to place the children at another school because the enrolment numbers have decreased. They (the children) should start lessons at the alternative school on Monday,” he said.