PUPILS at the Kaitsi !Gubeb Combined School at Berseba Village in the //Karas region were locked out for a few hours on Wednesday when angry parents held a demonstration demanding the removal of the principal.
They accused principal Metumo Aupokolo of disregarding the local community, and being arrogant towards the parents.
The group also demanded that the ongoing recruitment process to fill the vacant positions of a chief matron and an administrative officer should be stopped and re-advertised with new requirements benefiting the locals.
According to them, only people from outside the village have been appointed at the school lately, while locals remained jobless.
They further demanded the removal of a cleaner, who was transferred from the defence ministry to the school in April this year.
//Karas education director /Awebahe Johannes //Hoëseb intervened, and convinced the protestors not to hinder teaching and learning at the school while he attended to their grievances.
//Hoëseb said he told the parents that appointment recommendations for the administrative officer and chief matron positions would be submitted to the education permanent secretary, together with their demands.
He said the regional education management and the local school board would meet and discuss the parents’ call for the removal of the principal.
Aupokolo said the decision that he should be removed or not lies with the appointing authority.
“Since I took office in January this year, I never had an issue with the community,” he added.
Calls for his removal, the principal said, only came to light when shortlisted candidates from outside the village reported at the school last week for interviews of the vacant administrative officer and chief matron positions.
“We have advertised the vacant positions locally, and through the media. Only those who meet the requirements were invited for interviews,” he stated.
– luqman@namibian.com.na
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