THEY have put down their chalk and picked up placards to protest against mismanagement at their school.
However, the picketing by gatvol teachers at Rosslyn Primary School, north of Tshwane, is not disrupting lessons.
AND EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE COMPLAINING, THEY ARE COMPLYING AND ONLY PICKET IN THE MORNINGS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS AND AFTER IT ENDS.
At the centre of their dissatisfaction is how the School Governing Body (SGB) has been treating them. They claim the SGB is bullying them and making their jobs difficult.
They told Daily Sun they want the SGB dissolved.
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One of the teachers said: “There is no harmony between the parent component and teacher component. The composition of this SGB doesn’t meet the demographics of the pupils’ community.”
He said they are picketing because they tried to speak to the district but nothing has been done.
“We have exhausted all avenues and felt that picketing is the final straw,” he said.
He said they want the SGB to step down as they want to take over the school and control everything.
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He said they also want to be part of school projects like sport teams and the feeding scheme.
“They don’t have committees and yet there are some projects they want to embark on. They are talking about a soccer pitch and the soccer team that will be elected and the maintenance committee has never been consulted. It’s just them working alone,” he said.
The teacher said the principal has nothing to do with the picketing.
“This is not about the principal, but the SGB. Some of them are very arrogant,” he said.
Another teacher said the SGB doesn’t want them to talk during meetings.
“We are bullied and don’t have a voice in our school.
“They want to run everything themselves. They only communicate with the principal,” she said.
When Daily Sun contacted one of the SGB members, he said they are aware of the picketing.
“It is something that is being dealt with internally and the department is handling it,” he said.
Some parents told the People’s Paper they are not happy with what the teachers are doing in front of their children.
“This is not good for our children. It sets a bad example. Teachers are role models to our kids and when they see this kind of behaviour, they will also do it in the future,” said one parent.
Gauteng education spokesman Steve Mabona said the department is deeply concerned about the disruptions at Rosslyn Primary School.
“It must be noted that teachers at the school had in April raised concerns about the SGB, which were duly responded to.
“Since then, we have not been made aware of any new complaints by the teachers.
“In the interests of ensuring that our pupils do not lose any more learning time, we urge all stakeholders to use available structures to raise issues of concern and not to disrupt schooling,” he said.
Mabona said after being made aware of the disruption, senior department officials were sent to the school and the matter was referred to their Labour Relations Unit for further investigation.
