The first day of the second school term got off to a rocky start yesterday for at least two Eastern Cape schools, with no learning taking place.
Pupils and parents from Kuyasa Senior Secondary School in Dimbaza staged a protest over the shortage of school nutrition funds and teachers.
At Morgenster Primary School in Komga, pupils were sent home due to a meeting called to discuss the school’s “financial status”.
The disgruntled pupils and parents from Kuyasa brought morning traffic on the R63 between Dimbaza and Middledrift to a standstill as they barricaded the road with rocks and burning tyres.
When the Dispatch arrived at the scene, traffic officers were busy redirecting traffic and armed police were keeping a close eye, while fire fighters were dousing flames.
Kuyasa’s school governing body (SGB) chairman, Vuyani Notshulwana said they decided on the action after numerous letters to the education district went unanswered.
“We have run out of patience. We do not want to be fed more empty promises, demand action,” said Notshulwana.
He said although the school had 710 pupils, it only received funds to feed 503 pupils.
“We are supposed to be getting R128000 per term for 710 pupils but since last year, we have been getting R98000.
“The shortfall has seen many of the pupils go hungry and cooks not being paid,” he said.
He said the school also had a shortage of teachers. Kuyasa SGB secretary, Getty Klaas, said the funding issue was due to identity book (ID) verification problems, which they had at the school last year.
“There were children with outstanding IDs but that has since been fixed and we updated the department on the correct enrolment figure last year. They failed to update their books,” said Klaas.
An education development officer and a circuit manager who went to the school to address the angry protesters were held hostage when the protesters surrounded them, refusing to let them go until someone more “senior” came to address them.
After a few phone calls by the officials, a district director arrived to address them.
Department spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said they had verified the enrolment figure given by the school and would today meet with the directorates to update it.
“The problem is that the school did not submit their figures on time, which saw some of the directorates such as nutrition not being able to update their figures,” said Mtima.
Meanwhile, Morgenster Primary School parents said their children were sent home yesterday before school was meant to start.
According to the coordinator of the Great Kei United Forum, Monde Mzondi, the pupils were sent home by the principal, who also summoned their parents to the meeting.
“No letters were issued prior to the meeting to inform parents. We find it so unnecessary that our children’s education was compromised over a fundraising meeting,” he said.
Mtima said the principal’s actions were unacceptable.
Two embattled EC schools fail to open
Pupils and parents from Kuyasa Senior Secondary School in Dimbaza staged a protest over the shortage of school nutrition funds and teachers.
At Morgenster Primary School in Komga, pupils were sent home due to a meeting called to discuss the school’s “financial status”.
The disgruntled pupils and parents from Kuyasa brought morning traffic on the R63 between Dimbaza and Middledrift to a standstill as they barricaded the road with rocks and burning tyres.
When the Dispatch arrived at the scene, traffic officers were busy redirecting traffic and armed police were keeping a close eye, while fire fighters were dousing flames.
Kuyasa’s school governing body (SGB) chairman, Vuyani Notshulwana said they decided on the action after numerous letters to the education district went unanswered.
“We have run out of patience. We do not want to be fed more empty promises, demand action,” said Notshulwana.
He said although the school had 710 pupils, it only received funds to feed 503 pupils.
“We are supposed to be getting R128000 per term for 710 pupils but since last year, we have been getting R98000.
“The shortfall has seen many of the pupils go hungry and cooks not being paid,” he said.
He said the school also had a shortage of teachers. Kuyasa SGB secretary, Getty Klaas, said the funding issue was due to identity book (ID) verification problems, which they had at the school last year.
“There were children with outstanding IDs but that has since been fixed and we updated the department on the correct enrolment figure last year. They failed to update their books,” said Klaas.
An education development officer and a circuit manager who went to the school to address the angry protesters were held hostage when the protesters surrounded them, refusing to let them go until someone more “senior” came to address them.
After a few phone calls by the officials, a district director arrived to address them.
Department spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said they had verified the enrolment figure given by the school and would today meet with the directorates to update it.
“The problem is that the school did not submit their figures on time, which saw some of the directorates such as nutrition not being able to update their figures,” said Mtima.
Meanwhile, Morgenster Primary School parents said their children were sent home yesterday before school was meant to start.
According to the coordinator of the Great Kei United Forum, Monde Mzondi, the pupils were sent home by the principal, who also summoned their parents to the meeting.
“No letters were issued prior to the meeting to inform parents. We find it so unnecessary that our children’s education was compromised over a fundraising meeting,” he said.
Mtima said the principal’s actions were unacceptable.
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