Teaching and learning have been disrupted at various schools in Matsulu, outside Mbombela in Mpumalanga. This follows the appointment of a new circuit manager for the Nkululeko Circuit.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union, together with other teachers’ unions, met to deliberate on the issue and to look for solutions. They are dissatisfied with the appointment.
The National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) has reproached the unions.
“As an association of school governing bodies, we want to raise a serious concern especially about the disruption of teaching and learning especially here in Nkululeko circuit. According to the information at our disposal, the unions and other structures are not comfortable with the deployment of the new acting circuit manager as we all know that Mr Thela, who was circuit manager here in Nkululeko, was deployed somewhere else,” says Sipho Motha, NASGB Ehlanzeni Regional Secretary.
Parents expressed concern about the impact it will have on their children’s academic performance.
“It is very painful because this is just the beginning of the year and children must study and pass, we have children who did not do well last year and they are expected to catch up quickly and now they are sitting at home which means they lose more learning time,” a parent explains.
“As parents such things affect us, I am pleading with the government to fix this problem because if children are not going to school in January, they are getting disturbed. There are children who are supposed to rewrite their matric exams and they are being left behind,” another parent says.
The provincial Education Department has promised to look into the demands of the unions.
“The department convened a meeting today with all relevant stakeholders and we are happy that an agreement was reached that learning and teaching will resume tomorrow while the department is looking into their demands, and we will respond to them accordingly. We will work with the affected schools to ensure they catch up for the time they have lost for learning and teaching,” says Gerald Sambo, Mpumalanga Education spokesperson.
SADTU has cautioned against the disruption of teaching and learning.
