Pupils back fired onnies
NO MATHS ONNIES: John Ramsay High kids protest. Pictures: Monique Duval. NO MATHS ONNIES: John Ramsay High kids protest. Pictures: Monique Duval.
Angry matric pupils from Bishop Lavis took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against the removal of two maths teachers from their school just weeks before their final exam.
The pupils from John Ramsay High School, along with the Bishop Lavis Action Community (BLAC), held a picket outside the school where they handed over a memorandum to the Western Cape Education Department.
The WCED says the onnies were fired for committing fraud.
BLAC co-ordinator, Abdul Karriem Matthews, says a meeting was held with the school management team to discuss failing pupils.
“According to the national system, learners who get between 26% and 29% in a subject are discussed at a meeting,” he explains.
“Here they look at various things like attendance to give the children extra marks.
“Anything under 26% is an outright fail, but what the WCED says is that these two teachers gave the marks.
“What we don’t understand is why was the whole management team not fired.”
AGGRIEVED: Disgruntled pupils. Pictures: Monique Duval.
Grade 12 pupil Tasneem Ely says they were left for weeks without a math teacher and she is bang she is going to fail the exam.
“I am worried because we were left on our own. They didn’t get us another teacher and the Education Department doesn’t know what we go through. Our teacher was always there for us,” Tasneem says.
WCED spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond, says the teachers awarded fraudulent marks to Grade 11 pupils for the November 2018 exams.
“The allegations were investigated and followed a legal process. They will not be reinstated. They acted dishonestly and we abide by the decision,” says Hammond.
She says the school has been trying to appoint new teachers, but has yet to find a suitable candidate.
“They have three maths teachers that are assisting with the classes.”