Durban — There was chaos at Asiphephe Primary School in Oaklands, near Pinetown, where parents want the issue of the “illegitimate school governing body” solved.
Ward 14 councillor Mthokozisi Gasa said they had a meeting on Sunday to try to talk to parents after they had closed the school for more than five days. He said he received a call from a circuit manager on Thursday the previous week, alerting him that the school had not been functional for days because of issues with the management and that there was a parents’ meeting to iron out the issues.
The Daily News reported last month about alleged former school governing body (SGB) members who are said to have created fraudulent birth certificates to get in. The members, who are principals of other schools and occupy positions in one of the teacher unions, were investigated after teachers noticed the change of surnames of some of the pupils.
Upon asking parents, it was found it was an orchestrated campaign. Parents of the few pupils whose surnames were changed had to provide affidavits to state these are their children and they do not know anything about the sudden surname changes.
Gasa said he got the parents to come to the meeting on Sunday.
“The parents showed up and were given an opportunity to vent. However, the district director and circuit manager spoke to them and promised to solve the issues and (on Monday) teaching and learning commenced.”
He raised concern over the ongoing issues at the school and said it would be better for the department to solve the issues quickly so teaching and learning is not disrupted again.
“We pleaded with the parents to not close the school again,” said Gasa.
KZN education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the matter was under investigation.
Daily News