While Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is expected today to reveal when schools will be re-opening, one Mitchells Plain school principal has taken to Facebook to slam education authorities for putting pupils’ lives at risk.
Nigel Pelston, the principal of Rocklands High School, expressed his frustration after his school, which has between 800 and 1200 pupils, only received two 25 litre cans of chemicals from the Western Cape Education Department to “deep clean” the premises.
Pelston says the school did not receive any of the “promised” soap, masks or thermometers, warning the school was going to have “death” on their hands.
The palie posted his message to the Western Cape Teachers Forum page, writing: “So really know is this what was promise to deep clean a entire high school, its actually a sin.........WCED where’s all the other stuff promised. We gonna have death in our hands for shore.No masks as promised, no soap, no masks and no digital thermometers.....Rocklands High School we in deep trouble This is nearly to shut our mouth’s Yet this province is ready ........im ashamed ,shocked and deeply disgusted to say the least (sic).”
However, WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond says the cleaning items are to be delivered over a period of time.
“The WCED did not say that EVERY ITEM would arrive this past week,” she told the Daily Voice.
“We have NEVER once said that due to the quantity, we have different service providers who are delivering at different times in different areas.
“Hand sanitiser and bleach packs were delivered at some schools this past week, with more to follow this week.
“Over 13 000 masks have been delivered to schools - with all masks expected to be delivered by the end of this week.”
Bronagh added thermometers would be delivered from Monday.
“The cleaning of schools ahead of every school term is always the responsibility of the school,” she says.
“The additional cleaning materials is to supplement stock as it is expected that cleaning should be more frequent than usual - however, all schools should have already begun the cleaning process with the materials they have.”
“The majority of our principals are getting on with the job at hand.
“The SG has indicated that if the additional materials have not arrived before teachers return on the 25th, then he will not expect them to return.”
VIEW: Bronagh Hammond
While many parents supported Principal Pelston, there were others who were more disturbed by his writing skills.
Jasmine Jaz America-Congo joked: “Teachers, you can take this post and type it exactly as is. Give it to your learners to rewrite and mark as part of their exam. There’s opportunity in everything.”
And Anisah Cader commented: “This might be irrelevant, but this is very poor writing skills for a principal.”
When the Daily Voice asked Pelston for comment, he refused.