Parents-teachers stand-off marred Maila Nkokonono Secondary School

Magakadimeng

Teaching and learning has been disrupted since Monday 22 April at Maila Nkokonono Secondary School at Magakadimeng Village in Dennilton, after a group of disgruntled parents threaten to forcefully remove two teachers and the school principal.

They say they want to remove the teachers and principal because they are rejecting the alignment of the school that will allow Maila Nkokonono to admit pupils from Grades 10, 11 and 12. The school is currently only accommodating Grade 8 and 9 learners.

After they were informed about the forceful removal, the teachers, including the school principal, did not report for duty from Monday 22 April. They were citing that they are fearing to be victimized by the angry parents should they attend to their duties at Maila Nkokonono.

In February this year, dozens of aggrieved parents, joined by concerned community members from Magakadimeng and Mpheleng Villages, demonstrated to Moutse Central Circuit Offices to hand-over a memorandum directed to MEC for Education Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya. They were demanding the immediate realignment of the school and the removal of the three staff members.

They also raised concerns that hundreds of children, who are in Grade 10 to 12, are urged to walk more than 5kms to attend schools at neighbouring villages. However, parents said the memorandum was not responded and this is among other reasons they are forcing the removal of the teachers and principal.

A community leader, Abel Mogalaki, said the unhappy parents want to remove the teachers and principal because they said it publicly during a parent’s meetings that they do not promote the realignment of the school.

“The community is angry and want to remove them because they are interfering with the affairs of the parents. The community believes that only parents can have a say about the realignment of the school because it is their children who are suffering and not teachers,” he said.

Mogalaki said they are disappointed that MEC Mavhungu-Ramakhanya has not responded to their memorandum, which was delivered over two months ago.

“This stand-off has been going on for over two years now in which we have raised numerous complaints at all levels of the Education Department. We are planning to escalate the matter to the new HOD for the department and personally approach him in Polokwane to try and find resolutions,” he said.

The LDoE was not available for a comment at the time of going to press.