Some of the parents of learners at Webbstown Combined School, in eCabazi, Ixopo, protesting about leaners who are forced to stay at home due to teacher shortage at the school.
Image: Supplied
Teaching and learning at Webbstown Combined School in Cabazi, Ixopo, have been severely disrupted after a week-long protest by parents forced matric learners to sit their first-term continuous assessment tests at a neighbouring school.
School governing body (SGB) chairperson Morgan Shezi confirmed that learners had to be relocated due to the unrest.
“They were forced to take shelter at a nearby school in Ixopo. We are very concerned,” said Shezi.
The protest was sparked by the absence of three teachers, including the principal, who have not been reporting for duty. Shezi acknowledged the situation but declined to comment further, citing an ongoing investigation.
“It’s true that they are not at school. We are awaiting the findings of the investigation. Parents are divided, some are waiting like us, while others chose to protest,” he said.
Frustrated parents, however, say they have lost confidence in the school’s leadership. One parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they want the principal removed, accusing him of failing to manage the school effectively.
Another parent, Mjabulisi Chiya, said repeated attempts to raise concerns with the Department of Education have yielded no response.
“We have written to the department about the school’s challenges, but we have not received any feedback. We now want intervention from the KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka or the Head of Department Nkosinathi Ngcobo,” said Chiya.
Parents have raised a litany of grievances, including alleged teacher misconduct, chronic absenteeism, late coming, and early departures. The situation has reportedly left some learners without access to teaching since the start of the academic year.
“Grade 4 learners have been staying at home since the beginning of the year. When schools reopened, they were told not to return because there were no teachers,” said Chiya.
He added that teacher shortages have also affected higher grades, with at least three subjects not being taught, a concern heightened by the commencement of first-term assessments.
Further allegations include the misuse of school resources. Chiya claimed that a photocopy machine purchased by the school is being used at a funeral parlour business allegedly linked to the principal.
“We discovered this while reviewing the school’s 2023 financial statements. The school is paying for two photocopy machines, but only one is on site. The second is allegedly at the principal’s funeral parlour,” he said.
Concerns have also been raised about missing funds and unaccounted donations. According to Chiya, Transnet donated R100,000 for the construction of toilets and another R100,000 for classrooms, but neither project has materialised.
“No one knows what happened to that money. The toilets were never built, and the classrooms were not constructed,” he said.
Parents say the school’s declining academic performance is further cause for alarm. Webbstown Combined School recorded a 60% matric pass rate last year, placing it among the lowest-performing schools in the area.
The ongoing crisis has also led to a drop in learner enrolment, with many parents reportedly transferring their children to other schools.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.