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Soweto school rejects interim principal

Schooling has been disrupted at Meadowlands for at least two weeks

DESPITE agreeing not to disrupt classes the school governing body at Meadowlands Secondary School say they do not want their interim principal.

On Monday the Gauteng education department held a meeting with the Soweto Education Summit Task Team to discuss recent disruptions at the school and threats to disrupt the preliminary exams.

The meeting was attended by the South African Council of Churches, Congress of South African Students, the SA Democratic Teachers Union, National Association of School Governing Bodies and National Association of Parents in School Governance, among others.

GDE spokesperson Charles Phahlane said: "The organisations also distanced itself from last week's disruptions and from calls to disrupt education and preliminary exams.

"They agreed to work among their members to prevent any disturbances to learning and teaching at this crucial time of year."

Schooling has been disrupted at Meadowlands for at least two weeks, with the SGB demanding that the department reinstate suspended principal Moss Senye and teacher Fancy Phehle.

The two were suspended on full pay pending an internal investigation and a criminal case after they were accused of assaulting a pupil at the school.

A caretaker principal, George Maluleke, has been sent to the school but the SGB does not want him.

The SGB's Buddy Sekatane said: "The interim principal has not started but we do not recognise him.

"We want the district to explain their choice to parents.

"What we want to understand is why they are only sending the principal now. We have not had a principal for five months."

Phahlane said they were still consulting on whether Senye can be on medical pension because he was allegedly diabetic and has not attended a couple of disciplinary hearings because of his sickness.

But Sekatane said: "Who said that he was sick? He is well. We want him to come back. We hope the school disruptions will stop."

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