Parents upset over principal’s return to primary school

Some concerned parents have threatened to remove their children from Centurion Primary School after the return of the school principal.

On Monday, parents attended an “emergency” school meeting about the return of the principal following an incident on Friday after parents and teachers allegedly closed the school gate to bar the principal from entering the school.

Gauteng department of education spokesperson Steve Mabona said they were aware of the interruption of schooling at Centurion Primary.

“It must be clarified that the said principal was not dismissed but transferred to the district office for 90 days, as a precaution, while the department investigates all issues at the school,” he said.

Mabona said since the transfer period had lapsed, the principal could return to school because she does not interfere with the investigations underway.

“We must emphasise that nothing justifies the disruption of schooling, more so during a time when every day counts as we have already lost many critical school days due to the coronavirus pandemic,” Mabona said.

Parents who agreed to speak anonymously said they considered removing their children from the school.

“It’s not safe here, there is a big crack in the school. They must bring engineers, not builders,” the parent said.

“It’s dangerous for the children,” the parent added. The school field has also not been completed despite various fundraisers. Another parent alleged the principal ill-treated some of the teachers.

“She should not come back, we can see the difference in our children and the teachers,” they said.

The parents said the accounting department wasn’t up to scratch, either.

“In 2021, we were issued with statements from 2017. Nothing is all together here,” one parent said.

The SA Democratic Teachers Union’s (Sadtu) general secretary, Mugwena Maluleke, said he was aware of the matter.

“The suspension has expired after 90 days and the investigations conducted found no wrongdoing from the principal.”

Maluleke said the problem was apparently the institutional development and support officer, or cluster leader, from the district office who allegedly met parents a day before the district was to bring the principal back to school.

“It’s believed that this cluster leader has a vendetta with the principal and if it is true, [it] is destroying the education of our children because what is needed is relationship building to provide quality education to the children,” he said.

DA shadow MEC of education Khume Ramulifho said he inspected the poorly done infrastructure at the school on three occasions.