Secondary School principal in Vosloorus accused of mismanagement and lack of transparency

Celumusa Shange, a staff member and school governing body member (SGB) of PT Xulu Secondary School, accuses the principal of misusing funds and mismanaging the school.

In an exclusive interview with Kathorus Mail on September 5, Shange and another staff member of PT Xulu Secondary, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, claimed that the principal is not transparent about how he uses the school’s funds.

Shange said he wrote letters to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) and the Gauteng Department of Education Ekurhuleni District, requesting them to intervene in the challenges at the school, but his efforts have proved futile.

He said the school doesn’t have adequate space, which has led to overcrowded classrooms

“The school lacks essential furniture, equipment, and stationery for learning to take place efficiently. The other issue is that the school is not in a suitable place, and the GDE has been promising to relocate the school. This has not happened, and it affects learning at the school.

“We had several meetings with GDE, but have received no feedback from the principal or GDE. We are left in the dark. The school continues to face challenges, and it is deteriorating,” said Shange.

He said many issues can be resolved if the school can be relocated to a better place.

“Teachers lack equipment to ensure learning runs smoothly, such as printers. The principal has been buying second-hand printers, and they don’t last.

“The printers are constantly breaking down, and my question is, why does the principal not buy new printers? There is an allocated budget for such things at the school,” Shange said.

He added SGB members are not allowed to view the school’s budget.

“We don’t know the allocated budget and how it is spent at the school, because the principal doesn’t want to be transparent with us as SGB members. The other issue is that the school is dilapidated. The principal is also causing divisions among the teachers,” Shange shared.

He said that some teachers are appointed to teach subjects they are not qualified for.

“This issue is reflected in the 2024 matric pass rate dropping to 65%. The learners also don’t have textbooks at the school. The GDE and Gauteng Department of Education Ekurhuleni District are aware of all these issues. “We are appealing to relevant departments to intervene.”

The staff member who asked for anonymity said the situation at the school has become worse since the principal took over in 2014.

“In 2022 learners protested for three months because they were displeased with how things were run at the school. Some teachers were implicated as instigators of the protest; however, the suspensions were lifted and they were reinstated.

“The principal is destabilising committees in the school, to serve her interests. She doesn’t follow the proper channels in hiring teachers and appointing SGB members at the school,”the staff member said.

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed that, as far as recruitment is concerned, there are processes to be followed. The SGB members get involved, and the unions, as per the Collective 1 of 2021.

“The SGB is involved in the selection process of all the staff members, and the GDE 79, which stipulates the subjects required by the school, supports this.

“Consequently, the district extracts information from the database of unemployment for the required subjects and sends it to the SGB members to start the process accordingly.”

He mentioned that minutes and attendance registers are kept as required to ensure the audited financial statements are available, and the auditor’s report indicates an unqualified report.

“However, the SGB members who attend meetings are in a better position to discuss the finances of the school.
“PT Xulu Secondary School was initially a primary school and thereafter converted to a secondary school, and as such still has primary school-sized classrooms,” Mabona revealed.

He added that the GDE previously proposed a mobile school.

“However, members of the community didn’t approve of the move. Consequently, the processes for the school to move to a new site are at an advanced stage and will be finalised in due course.

“The school has consistently achieved above 80% pass rate in the principal’s leadership. However, a a positive working relationship has been compromised, and that has caused the school in 2024 to be declared a Section 58 (B) school,” Mabona stated.

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