MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

#NorthernAreas schools to remain closed

By

Port Elizabeth – Three important meetings will be held today to discuss the placement of teachers in schools in the northern areas of Port Elizabeth following violent protests by residents.

Residents began protesting in the early hours of Monday morning because of a shortage of teachers at the schools in the area.

Roads were blocked, cars were stoned and a Daily Sun journalist was hit over the head and robbed during the violent protest.

Police fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse the crowd.

Two men were arrested for public violence.

The Northern Areas Education Forum met with pupils’ parents and residents at the Arcadia Secondary School on Monday night.

The forum’s secretary Richard Draai told the crowd at the school that principals from Northern area schools would meet with the provincial department of education at 14:00 on Tuesday.

“They will provide documents and evidence that they submitted to the department of vacancies that they are filing,” he told News24.

He said the forum would also meet with the education MEC later in the day and after this the forum would meet with parents and residents on Tuesday night to give feedback on the meetings and to get a mandate from the parents on how to proceed.

“Schools will still be closed, but I guarantee that tomorrow will be peaceful.”

Draai called on people to stop barricading roads.

“When this happens, people close their shops,” he said.

“We don’t want to kill our own economy [in the Northern area]. Let us go to the department’s offices… where the meetings are taking place and support [our cause] peacefully.”

Ahmed Areff, News24

The following two tabs change content below.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Flickr profileMy Pinterest profile

Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.