EC schools still have no full-time principal

But provincial education spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said they had already issued a bulletin in which all the 320 principals posts had been advertised.

Premier Phumulo Masualle gave education MEC Mandla Makupula until yesterday to fill the posts or face the music. The ultimatum was issued after weeks of visiting schools across the province when schools started in January.

Masualle told the Daily Dispatch at the time there was one common thread at most schools – vacancies of substantive posts, including school principals.

The teacher shortage was worse in Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth’s northern areas.

In the northern areas, schooling started only a month after schools re-opened, after parents refused to send their children to schools with a critical shortage of teachers.

Pulumani said at all the 320 schools without principals, “there are acting school principals appointed or placed by district offices in each school.

“Over and above, the department has to date set aside funds to appoint 1665 educators of which to date 1123 have been appointed already.”

Pulumani said if the department had its way all vacant positions would have been filled by yesterday, but the department was experiencing difficulty “in finding suitably qualified educators in the scarce skills schools subject, including foundation, which has resulted in the demand for appointment of people with inappropriate qualifications to fill vacant substantive posts”.

Pulumani added: “The process of teacher redeployment could not be done due to a labour dispute on the declared school post establishment,” referring to a Court challenge by several schools challenging the department bulletin published late last year.

He also blamed schools for failing to play their part, saying they issued a notice on January 14, a day after pupils returned to school this year. The schools were asked to provide information on their staffing needs. Only a few schools responded positively.