Teaching and learning was brought to a halt at Breidbach High School yesterday morning as parents and community members snatched the school’s keys and locked the gates in protest over the shortage of teachers.
This happened before the school started at 8am.
Pupils and parents said the school was short of five Grade 8, 9 and 10 teachers who are supposed to teach geography, mathematics, life science, economics and management science and Afrikaans.
The parents claim they had numerous meetings with district officials and the principal where they say they were promised that teachers would be sent to the school at specified dates, but that never happened.
The parents vowed to keep the gates locked until the teachers were permanently appointed.
When the Saturday Dispatch arrived at the school at around mid-morning, pupils and staff were locked out of the premises except for close to 100 pupils who live at the school’s hostel.
The pupils from the hostel were later allowed to leave their dorms, where some joined in the protest while some went home.
Community member Stacey Gosling, who is also the South African National Civic Organisation secretary in the area, said their action was decided on at a community meeting on Thursday.
“This is to give the department of education a clear message that we want them to address this shortage immediately. There is no time for negotiations. We do not want to be addressed by officials, we want them to bring these teachers.
“This school will remain locked until we see permanent appointment letters of the outstanding teachers.”
Gosling said school principal Les Mara promised yesterday that the vacant posts would be filled in three to five days.
But Mara, who was standing on the corner of the street opposite the locked school, refused to comment on the matter.
Parent Michelle Quilie said her child, who is in Grade 8, had informed her that during the Afrikaans period they sat outside because there was no teacher.
“How can we expect our children to proceed to the next grade if there are no teachers? That’s why as parents we decided to take action,” said Quilie.
Some of the pupils claim that on some days they would go a day without being taught because there were no teachers.
Provincial education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said he would follow up with the district officials and the department’s human resources to establish the facts. — arethal@dispatch.co.za