TEACHERS AND PARENTS MARCH TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The School Governing Body Unit of Bizana matched to the department of education to submit a memorandum of grievances on Wednesday 26^th of January 2022.

Parents and School governing bodies came out in numbers to submit a memorandum of grievances to the department of Education. The schools are complaining about;

• Stationary not supplied in schools
• educators’ assistants and general assistants not getting paid
• The decentralisation of monies to schools.
• Disaster schools not given attention etc…

Pondoland Times spoke with some of the officials, parents and EA’s and GA’s that were present on the march:

Mr Richman Sibongile Mncanywa from Lukholo S.P.S said, the schools are supposed to be given stationary free of charge and as the SGB they are complaining about teachers that are not being permanently employed, he also said that they are tired acting candidates because they cannot hold anyone accountable.

“if there is any misappropriation of funds, people must be held accountable and arrested” said Richman Sibongile Mncanywa.

One of the EA’s Asiphe Xhanyaza from Dlungwana primary school, expressed how the issue of not being paid inconvenience her, she says she could not register at a Tertiary institution as she was planning to further her studies, because she was not paid. She added that they received late payment beginning of January which means they were not paid the November Salary.

The SECRETARY of SADTU Xolile Bhani said, the march was a great success because parents came out in numbers and on behalf of Bizana educators they think the initiative taken by parents, that is to show up in numbers is very important because the department of education constantly makes promises without delivering. He indicated that the disaster schools that we damaged during holy days are yet to be refurbished and the department is requesting schools to use maintenance money though the department has an obligation to fix the disaster schools.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“parents were told not to buy stationary because education is free, the worse part is that the stationary passes Bizana to Qonce, where they say there’s warehouses which means we are being undermined on our side because we do have warehouses. This contributes to the wasteful expenditure and the results are being affected because it delays the progress of pupils” said The SECRETARY of SADTU Xolile Bhani[/perfectpullquote]

The secretary also said that, in terms of implementation the department of Education is expected to decentralise LTSM’s, money for the stationary and EA’s. and he also said that the   department must pay back the money it took from schools as per the policy that has been written by the department of education.

Acting Chief Director of (cluster, A) Themba Dyasi said, as the department they will take the supplication and email to the head of the branch and MEC in order for the department to respond within 7 days.