Activist group Save Our Schools and Community has expressed concern about Friday's protest in which thousands of township pupils marched to the district office of the Eastern Cape Department of Education, saying parents were not asked for permission for their children to take part.
Activist group Save Our Schools and Community has expressed concern about Friday's protest in which thousands of township pupils marched to the district office of the Eastern Cape Department of Education, saying parents were not asked for permission for their children to take part.
In spite of the agreement brokered by Cosatu that the Eastern Cape go-slow is off, children in Grahamstown are out on the streets today (Friday) having been led by teachers into a march for further grievances, especially those relating to their dissatisfaction with District Director Fetsha, the organisation wrote in an emailed letter to Grocott's Mail.
As we speak, Grahamstown learners led by their teachers are at the district offices protesting about a general basket of grievances, including the teacher shortage which was dealt with by Cosatu.
This is very worrying as it still appears that teachers are more concerned with disrupting education on the whim to settle grievances with their employer.
In the letter, Save Our Schools leader, Nomalanga Mkhize said she has been called by a Grahamstown parent who was worried when he saw children and teachers toyi-toying on the streets, instead of being back in class.
This action by Grahamstown Sadtu only reveals the weakness of the parental voice in education and the pressing need for us as community members to work even harder to ensure that they gain the confidence to speak on behalf of their children,. Mkhize said.
It is not clear if permission was sought from parents for this march. Children on the scene reported to us that they were told yesterday, some on Wednesday. It does not appear that there were not written notices or letters sent to parents about this.
As Save Our Schools and Community we find this behaviour from our educators exasperating and are deeply worried about the state of affairs in Grahamstown and broader Eastern Cape education.
We again call on all parents to join the growing number of Eastern Cape citizens who are committed to building a quality education for the working class Black and Coloured children of the Eastern Cape, Mkhize wrote.
