Stefanus Nashama
The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture has maintained that the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) disrupted the opening of Minna Sachs Primary School at Keetmanshoop in the Kharas region on Monday.
This is according to the education ministry’s executive director, Sanet Steenkamp.
“They can’t deny that, and I am not accusing them,” she reiterated.
The disruption follows Wilika Mutotwa’s appointment as the school’s principal.
According to Steenkamp, all due processes to appoint Mutotwa for the principal post were followed.
“After a successful engagement with the respective school board management, parents, teachers, and learners on 18 and 19 July, all due processes were followed to appoint Mrs Mutotwa for the post of the school principal, and everyone agreed to that,” she explained.
Steenkamp further said the processes were explained by the education director in the region.
“It is illegal and unconstitutional for LPM members to disrupt the school when all the processes were followed just because you want someone else to be the school principal when they are not successful,” she stressed.
Steenkamp stated that although Mutotwa emerged as the successful candidate, she is currently facing discrimination due to the language she speaks.
She added that there is also an infringement on the learners’ right to education.
“The whole thing is politicised by LPM in the name of Amushelelo and other party members,” she said.
Mutotwa was presented to the school board management and all stakeholders on Friday as the school principal of Minna Sachs Primary School.
The LPM denied allegations of staging a demonstration that disrupted the school and closed the gates.
The LPM’s spokesperson, Lifalaza Simataa said in a statement on Monday that a parent community group in the town organized the demonstration in question.
“LPM would like to clarify the accusation lobbied by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture that the party staged a demonstration by closing the gates of the school in question. The demonstration in question was organised by a parent community group within that specific town,” he said.
Simataa explained that the community group handled the logistical element, coordinated with the police, and closed the gates.
“LPM did not organise the protest in question,” he said.
According to Simataa, the party statement doesn’t demonize the actions of the parent community that spearheaded the initiative.
He said the demonstrators followed democratic procedures to express a concern they have as a community.
“It is always important to allow citizens to participate in their democratic rights,” he stressed.
