×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

'Brilliant maths teacher loses her job'

A maths teacher at a top rural school in the Eastern Cape did her job and improved the maths pass rate by 120%. But Celinah Damoyi has lost her job, leaving only one maths teacher in charge of 400 maths pupils.

She had a temporary post and must wait to hear if the Eastern Cape Education Department can find the R6,000 a month it costs to keep her on the payroll.

This week headmaster of St Matthew’s High near Keiskammahoek Mkhuseli Gquma, left with only one maths teacher, pleaded with the department’s district office in King William’s Town to re-employ his star teacher.

“It is practically impossible for one teacher to look after 400 children,” he said.

Damoyi, 33, was back home in the rural village of Nqancule in Transkei feeling elated at the 96.9% maths pass rate achieved by her matrics; up by a massive 52 percentage points from a pass rate of only 44% in 2011.

Gquma said the school governing body had paid her salary until funds were exhausted in mid-2012.

She was forced to take a half salary of only R3,000 a month – which was obtained from a funder in Australia with help from outreach teacher Tim Barnard at St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown.

The department reinstated her temporary post and paid her full salary from August to December.

Gquma said: “It stressed her out a great deal, but she recovered. We cannot afford to lose such a brilliant teacher if we want to continue to produce quality results such as these.”

Damoyi commented: “I said we’d do it, and we did. But I am back home waiting. I received a letter (from the department) saying my contract expired at the end of December (2012). I am not taking it very well. I am just hoping the department will employ us again, and give us longer contracts.”

The former Anglican missionary school went into an academic freefall in recent years, with maths results plummeting from 80% and higher – caused by militant teacher union action and official inertia.

Gquma said the school’s overall matric pass rate of 95% in 2012, up 32 percentage points from 63% in 2011, had made him “the happiest man in the world”.

His matriculants achieved 31 university entrance passes, 26 diploma entrance level passes, and 15 straight passes. One scholar achieved an 83% aggregate.

Ironically, Damoyi’s younger maths colleague and friend, Nomasande Rala, 27, found work at another school as a substitute teacher.

Shortly before Christmas, East Cape acting education boss Mthunywa Ngonzo said the department would extend the contracts of at least 2,332 temporary teachers scheduled to be laid off at the end of December.

This was an about-turn after the department initially said it would be terminating the contracts of 99,320 temporary teachers in 2013, reducing teaching posts from 64,752 to 60,820.

SA Democratic Teachers’ Union Sadtu has threatened a fresh round of protests in the fight for jobs which has gone on for almost a decade.

Daily Dispatch

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.