Parents at Bloem school call dissolution of part of the SGB

Parents at Brebner Primary School in Bloemfontein are calling for the dissolution of the parent component of the School Governing Body (SGB).

Parent Itumeleng Duiker alleges the SGB has failed to fulfil its responsibilities, including providing basic resources and managing staff appointments.

He says parents have raised their concerns with the Free State Department of Education since April, but are frustrated by the slow progress.

The parents also allege financial irregularities, conflicts of interest and improper co-option of SGB members.

In a letter to the department, they have formally called for the establishment of interim governance.

The letter reads, “We are running in the school, which is short of teachers.

The ones that are employed by the school governing body, that are being retrenched by the same school governing body.

Now our question as parents is one, if you see that we are still struggling with the finances then yes, we have limited finances, but we can still manage to accommodate the ones that we have.

Why are you pushing them out? Who are you intending to replace them with? We have engaged with the department so far to a point whereby we as parents felt as if now we are helpless.

A process which was supposed to take three weeks according to them, has already taken more than four months.”