Fed up schools form 12km-long protest picket

MORE than 40 schools in Port Elizabeth's northern areas – desperate to have their vacant posts filled – took to the streets yesterday morning, demanding more teachers.

Challenging the Department of Education, principals, teachers and parents formed a 12km- long picket line in Stanford Road stretching from Bethelsdorp to Korsten.

They were protesting against the ongoing crisis in education that has seen three-quarters of classrooms in the impoverished areas overcrowded and some without teachers.

The protesters waved placards reading: "Give us our teachers," "MEC: don't you care about our kids' future?" and "Enough is enough."

The picket will continue today from 7am to 8am, and concerned parents have threatened that if nothing is forthcoming from the Education Department by tomorrow, they will close the schools indefinitely.

Booysen Park's Sapphire Primary School governing body chairwoman, Andiswa Njomane, said the Education Department had left them with no alternative but to create chaos.

"Working at Sapphire, I see the pressure the shortage of staff puts on the teachers," she said.

"It is the [Education] Department's responsibility to appoint teachers.

"If they don't come to the party, we will lock these gates."

About 350 teachers are needed to fill the vacant posts at the northern areas schools.

A Booysen Park school principal, who did not want to be named, said the situation not only destroyed the morale of teachers, it also ruined the culture of learning in schools.

"To teach, and to teach well, one needs a calm, conducive environment," he said.

"But with all these overcrowded classes and extra pressure on our teachers because of a shortage of staff, they burn out."

A Schauderville school principal said: "We need six more teachers to make up our full staff of 17. For the last 14 years, we have had to survive with a dent in our numbers.

"Since 2011, we have coughed up R364000 to pay temporary teachers. We can no longer afford it."

Many schools have resorted to temporarily appointing Funza Lushaka bursary graduates who are paid a meagre stipend of as little as R1000 a month from funds raised by SGBs.

They joined the protest yesterday in frustration at not being officially placed at schools and paid a proper salary.

Provincial Education Department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said schools should exercise some patience. "Over the past two weeks, we have filled 10 vacancies," he said.

"The principals linked to these protests are scheduled to meet their district director [today].

"Throwing stones at each other will not solve anything."

He urged principals to clarify their vacancy profiles honestly, and to keep their Funza Lushaka teachers. "We are processing their profiles and handling the admin around their placements," he said. - Alvené du Plessis