Mapakophele Primary School has been without a principal for the past month after angry parents and community members chased him away. They claim that the principal had lied to them when he told them the school was going to close and that they should take their children to other schools as it would be merged with Dzivhalanombe Primary.
The community representative, Mr Pro Rammbwa, said that they had called the circuit manager at the start of the school year on 11 January. "He told us that the proposal for the merging of the schools had been reversed. We have been threatened by the principal before that our school will be closed and merged with Dzivhalanombe Primary because of our low enrolment of learners. So, we wrote letters to the circuit, arguing that Dzivhalanombe Primary was too far from Mapakophele village, and that learners would have to travel more than five kilometres to school every day. The children might be at risk of being kidnapped or going missing," he said.
Rammbwa said that they did not want the principal to set foot at the school again because the community was fed-up with him.
SGB secretary Ms Sarah Mufamadi said the department had been trying to merge the school with Dzivhalanombe Primary because of the low enrolment. "Last year, we received a letter from the department, informing us that the school will be merged with Dzivhalanombe Primary, but we are happy and relieved because they reversed the proposal. We can't allow our children to travel such long distances and cross the river. They pass through bushes, which is dangerous," said Mufamadi.
She confirmed that the parents and the community had chased the principal away on the basis of different allegations.
The Department of Education's spokesperson, Mr Mike Maringa, said that the principal was currently reporting at the Nzhelele West Circuit every day. He said that the department would meet with parents and SGB members to resolve the matter as soon as possible.