Pretoria – The Eastern Cape Department of Education has condemned the closure of 23 schools in Port Elizabeth by principals and residents in the past two days.
This, it said, is despite the department’s decisive intervention by availing 122 educator posts to the district in April this year to fill all critical vacant and funded posts.
“The department has since discovered that of the 122 posts provided, only 57 have been filled to date due to various circumstance including the shortage of Afrikaans mother tongue educators of mathematics.
“In other instances it is the schools themselves that have been dragging their feet and have not submitted the requested list of vacant posts and other required documents to the district office,” said the department.
It condemned the closure of schools and disruptions of learning and teaching in the strongest terms, saying it will not be tolerated.
The department also noted the intimidation of non-participating schools and their forced closure.
“The department has therefore called on the police to enforce a zero tolerance stance and help stamp out recklessness and anarchy in our schools. We appeal to all parents to desist from closing our schools as this is against the law.”
A task team, established to resolve the impasse, is meeting with the education development officers of these schools to look at each case and implement remedial steps immediately. – SAnews.gov.za
