17 July 2024
Learners at Mary Waters Secondary School in Makhanda have been protesting since Monday, demanding that the department of education appoint a permanent maths teacher. Photo: Loyiso Dyongman
The Eastern Cape Department of Education on Wednesday appointed a temporary teacher to teach mathematics at Mary Waters Secondary School in Makhanda, after days of protests by learners.
The school has about 1,200 learners, with an average of 45 learners in some classes.
Learners have been gathering at the school gates since Monday, demanding a maths teacher in the senior grades.They say grades 10 to 12 have not had a maths teacher since June and they intend to continue protesting until a permanent teacher is appointed.
A matric learner who asked not to be named said, “We are stressed because it is the middle of the year, and we don’t know if this vacant position will be filled or not. The teacher they called (on Wednesday) is not permanent.”
Another learner, Ashley Daniels, said the school has faced teacher shortages. “In 2022, we had this problem of teacher shortages, and the posts are not filled with permanent teachers. We know that this teacher is going to leave again in a few days,” said Dainiels.
Eastern Cape education department spokesperson Mali Mtima told GroundUp that a teacher had been appointed and would start on Wednesday. He said the permanent post would be filled by the end of the month.
But parent Esmerelda Roberts said she is worried that the learners have already fallen behind. “I don’t know why the department has been dragging to appoint teachers at the school. The school was doing very well before, but in the past few years it has dropped,” said Roberts.