School started without problems yesterday at the school that used to be noisy, Mkhumbane Secondary, in Chesterville.
This happened after the last meeting of the parents on Sunday, where they agreed that the lock should not be removed and the school would be closed for a week.
This lock was installed by one of the parents last week, following news of the sudden suspension of the principal, Mr. Ntokozo Ngobese.
The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal finally came out on Friday saying that Ngobese has not been set up for the noise that has been removed due to the installation of unwanted cameras by Sadtu teachers at the school.
It has been three weeks since learning was disrupted in this school, following the fact that Sadtu teachers have put down their chalks, saying they do not want to teach in classrooms equipped with cameras that record images and sound.
There was an uproar, swearing that they would not return to classrooms without the cameras being removed. While they were saying this, the parents were also standing by Ngobese, saying that no cameras will be removed because they are the ones who agreed that they should be installed, following the incidents of school break-ins and property being taken.
Finally, temporary teachers were hired who were said to fill the vacancies of those who refused to teach, which led to the students trying to protest, saying that they wanted their teachers to abandon teaching. However, the parents stopped the strike, saying that no child will protest against teachers who do not want to work.
Yesterday one of the parents, Ms. Xolile Buhlalu, told Isoleze that in the meeting they had, they chose to let the children study.
“We agreed that the children should continue to study because the exams are near. We said that although we will continue to fight for what we want as parents, they should not be disturbed,” said Ms. Buhlalu.
He said they are adamant that the cameras are not going anywhere.
“There are parents who are committed to waking up and going to school to make sure that no one comes to take them out,” he said.
He went on to say that the teachers who abandoned teaching have not returned to school, the students will still be taught temporarily, which will be paid by the parents.
He stated that they will organize a march to the department, where they will present their complaints that they want the principal to be reinstated, and clarify that the cameras installed in the school were approved by them as parents.
He said that currently the person acting as the principal is the one who was his deputy.