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The Free State Department of Education remains tight-lipped as to why the Philippolis Secondary School was without a teacher offering the subject Natural Sciences for the first term of the 2024 academic year. The department’s inability to explain has sparked uproar and accusations of a lack of interest in the education of children.
Apparently, during this period learners were left idling in the classroom. Due to the unavailability of a teacher, learners were unable to write an examination paper for the first term, resulting in all “failing” the subject.
The alarming news that all the learners failed the subject, as well as the unavailability of an educator, became public upon parents enquiring why all the Gr. 8 learners had received zero marks on their reports for the subject in question.
The school’s management reportedly issued reports during the second week after the school had reopened on 3 April.
Gravely concerned parents told BloemExpress the reason given to them as to why learners were awarded zero marks for the subject was that there had been no educator offering the subject since the school term began in January this year. Speaking anonymously and citing fear of intimidation, parents said they had been informed that the educator offering the subject was on six months’ maternity leave. She is reportedly expected to return to work in June.
It emerged the educator went on leave when the school closed in December last year and had ensured all learners wrote the final Natural Sciences examination. The educator is reportedly part of the school’s management, holding the position of department head.
Some parents said, initially, they thought that the learners failed the subject on account of their laziness and not studying, blaming both the school’s management and the provincial department.
“I was bluntly shocked that our children ‘failed’ the subject due to incompetency of both the school’s management and the department. The school’s management, including the principal, should have acted accordingly to inform the department as they were quite aware of the situation since last year,” said one parent.
One of the disgruntled parents took to social media, lamenting the school’s management continuing with business as usual amidst the fiasco lingering of the unavailability an educator to teach Natural Sciences. Other parents described this as evidence of a lack of accountability.
“This is a managerial problem. Does the school not have contingencies for such instances, especially when there are numerous unemployed graduate teachers capable to stand in a supplementary role? Phakama mphakathi we Philippolis (Wake up, the community of Philippolis), this is our children’s future we are talking about!”
Repeated efforts by BloemExpress in getting the department’s comment and explanation concerning the non-appointment of a replacement educator to offer Natural Sciences at the school in question were futile.
