Lavis school gets a new teacher after week-long protest
|Published
OVERWHELMED: Bishop Lavis Primary School OVERWHELMED: Bishop Lavis Primary School
A Cape Flats school has been reopened after a week-long protest by parents who demanded the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) appoint additional teachers to address overcrowded classes.
The protest at Bishop Lavis Primary School was called off on Friday when parents were told the WCED had appointed an additional Grade 7 teacher.
The school was shut every day last week as hundreds of parents vowed not to back down until the department heeded their demands for two more teachers which they had requested in 2019.
Monique Abrahams of the School Governing Body (SGB) said the Grade 4 and 7 classes had an average of 54 children to one teacher, resulting in the principal being forced to teach.
OVERWHELMED: Bishop Lavis Primary School
The parents explained they were told they had been put on a list of schools earmarked for additional staff but since the beginning of the year, there had been no feedback from the department.
So each day they locked the school gates with chains and stopped staff from entering.
“On Friday just before 9am, they made the announcement and we called off the protest,” says Abrahams.
“We were there every day to show them how serious we are. We were happy with the outcome and were overwhelmed.
“As the SGB, we feel that the WCED now sees we won’t back down to fight for our children’s right to a proper
education.
“This is a problem at several other schools in Bishop Lavis and we want to encourage parents to fight for their children and we will help them.”
The WCED’s Bronagh Hammond confirms the new Grade 7 teacher will start on Wednesday: “The growth in learner numbers this year has warranted an additional post.”
