Three days into the job as acting principal at Hout Bay High School, a Head of Department (HoD) at the school has been recalled pending further investigation.
In a letter to parents, dated Friday 14 October, Andre Sampie wrote that circuit manager, Matthew Lambert, had informed him of complaints regarding his appointment as the acting principal.
Sampie stated that a parent, “on behalf of members of the parent community”, had forwarded a complaint to the Western Cape Education Minister’s Office.
“In order to maintain stability and to minimise disruptions, the district office recommended the appointment of the ex-principal, Juan Julius, to serve as the curator principal,” wrote Sampie, adding that he would continue to fulfil his duties as a HoD while the matter was being investigated.
The proverbial ink on the letter was not even dry when a media statement – signed by community activist Roscoe Jacobs and Hangberg concerned parents – was released, calling for Sampie’s immediate reinstatement.
Jacobs said the decision of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to remove Sampie from the position without a proper investigation into the “nonsensical claims of him not being loyal to the school and community” was absurd.
“Are we not innocent until proven guilty, and is it a crime to further educate oneself? Why was the acting principal not given the position of acting principal till the ‘investigation’ into these allegations is completed?” Roscoe asked.
The statement described Sampie as a qualified teacher with a B Ed honours UCT (Educational Management) 2015, and a B Ed (four years) UWC 2011.
“With 11 years of teaching experience. The parents and community in their majority have faith in his capabilities and believe he has the best interest of the children at heart,” said Roscoe.
Sampie’s short-lived appointment as acting principal follows the departure of former caretaker principal Faseeg Manie.
According to the WCED, Manie had opted not to renew his contract. With no new principal appointed by the time his contract had come to an end (Monday 19 September), parents and learners were somewhat left in the lurch, not knowing who would take up the reins at the school.
When interviewed at the end of September, Millicent Merton, Directorate: Communication, WECD, told People’s Post that the principal post had been advertised twice.
“A concerted attempt was made to appoint a new permanent principal, but no suitable candidate was found,” said Merton.
In light of this, she said, the school’s governing body (SGB) had decided that, as an interim measure, two internal HoDs would share the responsibility, with one serving as acting principal in the fourth term, and the second in the first term of the new year.
“The post will be re-advertised, and, hopefully, a permanent principal will be appointed in the first half of next year,” she said.
At the time of going to print, it was unclear how the subsequent nomination of Julius will affect these plans.
People’s Post first launched its investigation into circumstances at Hout Bay High School following a parent/teacher meeting held on Tuesday 13 September.
At the meeting, Manie told parents that learners’ bad behaviour was causing severe disruption of classes.
He said as many as 10% of the school’s 502 learners were engaging in disruptive behaviour. So much so, he said, that two teachers had to take a leave of absence due to stress.
Merton confirmed that there had been two such cases.
“The behaviour of learners is extremely challenging. The lack of support from the parent community leaves the school vulnerable when trying to manage negative learner behaviour,” she said.
She added that three attempts had been made to invite the parents of wayward learners to attend the meeting.
“Each learner received an individual letter inviting his/her parent to the meeting. Each parent of the learner was invited to the meeting via WhatsApp. The truancy officer spent hours doing a ‘knock and drop’, inviting the parent of each learner to the meeting,” said Merton.
Trudy Guenantin, a Hangberg resident and a member of the school’s 2020 governing body, attended the Tuesday meeting. She told People’s Post that, although the hall had been fully packed on the evening, none of the parents who had received letters pitched.
“The general feeling among the parents who were there was of being helpless. They feel that while they may have an influence on their own child’s behaviour, they don’t have any influence on their neighbour’s child’s behaviour,” she said.
Guenantin said the meeting was adjourned without any clear plan for the way forward or possible steps to address the challenges at the school.
Asked what WCED was doing to address the issues at Hout Bay High School, Merton said there had been interventions by the Circuit Based Support Team (CBST), an NGO (Hangberg Dreams), talks by the police at school assemblies, a body search, appropriate sanctions (for example, detention, community service, parents being held responsible and paying for acts of learner vandalism or breaking windows), summoning deviant learners to SGB disciplinary meetings, summonsing parents of deviant learners for a general “chat” with the senior management team (SMT), and interventions by James House (an NGO which has an office at the school). She said a dedicated psychologist had also been deployed to the school.
Six positions, including that of the principal’s, are vacant at Hout Bay High. At present, 15 teachers are employed at the school.
In the statement released on Friday, Jacobs said, failing the reinstatement of Sampie, “we will embark on mass action through mobilising the learners, staff and community”.
“Furthermore, we wish to invite the Standing Committee of Education in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature and National Parliament to come to do an oversight visit with us in our schools in Hout Bay,” he said.
