DRIEKOP- Gowe Primary School learners and parents are calling for the reinstatement of suspended acting principal Mr Max Molepo.
About 400 learners sang and danced carrying placards that read, “No school when Molepo is not there” We want Molepo, he is the principal for us.”
The learners and their parents rallied at the school from November 12 until the 20th. For the past week the learners had not written any exams.
Community members locked the school gates petitioning for the axed Molepo to be reinstated.
According to the parents, Molepo is accused by the Sekhukhune district’s education department of allegedly misusing the school funds and for rallying the community to get rid of the teacher who was rumoured to not doing his job properly.
The school authorities disagree with the allegations; they believe Molepo is the right man to take the school to greater heights.
“The district office don’t take our needs seriously, they just make their decisions without considering the parents. They don’t care about the needs of our kids, as theirs are attending fancy private schools. We want Molepo to return and continue to lead the learners, hopefully they will bring us a principal next year,” said SGB member Mr Peter Mapalakane.
The community also accused the provincial educational department of neglecting the school. “There is no water for the kids at the school, and the cooking ladies are forced to fetch water from the nearby river to prepare food for the learners. Our school does not even have electricity. All we want is to see Molepo return,” one protester said.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News visited the school on Monday November 18; the learners were seen playing at a nearby spaza (Gowe tuck shop) instead of writing their exams.
Mr Phuti Seloba, spokesman for the educational department, said the parents were irresponsible.
“There is nothing we can do if the parents influence their own kids not to write exams, it is clear that the learners are told what to do. The department has suspended Molepo as the acting principal but not as a teacher; he was never instated as the principal. He just appointed himself. We are the only ones who have the power to appoint principals.”
Seloba did not mention when the department would appoint a permanent principal for the school.
He added that they are planning to get rid of the SGB members in the school as they are the stumbling block.
” Even Molepo knows that the position it’s not his, he only influenced the parents in backing him, knowing he does not qualify” he concluded.
At the time of going to print the learners were still not writing their exams. The previous principal of Gowe retired a year ago.
