Protests start again at troubled Khayelitsha school
Police use stun grenades to stop student demonstrators entering school
On Wednesday, student protests started at iQhayiya High School in Khayelitsha. On Thursday, GroundUp found teachers and students standing outside classes and four police (SAPS) vans and two Metro police cars at the school.
A group of students were standing across the road. They were referred to as “trouble makers” by teachers. Stun grenades were fired when the protesting students attempted to enter the school grounds.
A parent said protesting students had pulled other students out of class. Some parents came to collect their children when they heard about the trouble.
The school principal and a representative of the Western Cape Department of Education (WCED), who would not give his name, refused to speak to reporters.
On Friday, GroundUp spoke on the phone to students, who said they had been turned away from class. Learner Ntando Bligenhout said they were told to take off the COSAS (Congress of South African Students) T-shirts they were wearing under their school shirts.
The students want the school principal removed. They also say funds are being misused. The unhappiness has a long history. GroundUp reported on the iQhayiya students protest outside the WCED in November 2015, when students complained about the principal and raised questions over an alleged R2 million in unaccounted funds. Earlier that month, students complained about the principal and the use of corporal punishment at the school.
Spokesperson for the Western Cape Department of Education Millicent Merton said, “Learners raised a number of issues that were already attended to on previous occasions. Our district office will continue to engage with the school to address their concerns.”
She said a meeting was held on Wednesday night where it was resolved that all role players from the community structures will ensure stability at the school.
But protests have continued. Bligenhout said the students had not been included in the meeting. “We have been to the department last year to plead with them to take this seriously, but they have failed us. They have not done anything till today about our complaints. Students do not want the principal at the school and they [WCED] know that and we have given them the reasons why,” said Bligenhout.
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