adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A HEADMASTER who was transferred from a Mangwe school for forcing teachers to sing jingles he composed is hitting the wrong notes again at his new school. Pupils at Tahangana High School demonstrated against Norman Muvimi last Friday alleging that they were missing lessons for several days as he held long meetings with teachers.
The pupils were also angry that they were stopped from participating in a football tournament in which they are defending champions on the same day, allegedly because there were no funds to travel, even when they paid sports levy.
Teachers are also at loggerheads with the headmaster, and they alleged delivered a petition to him complaining about the way he treats them, including claims of insults in the presence of pupils and parents.
Tahangana School Development Association chairperson Bupelo Tshuma told The Chronicle yesterday that the headmaster was not in good books with teachers and pupils and efforts to bring them together have so far failed.
He said on Friday, a group of about 30 pupils blocked people from going out through the gate protesting against the headmaster and they were only dispersed by the police.
Tshuma said the demonstration took place while the SDC committee was in the school for a meeting.
“The pupils were angry as the head stopped them from attending a sporting event after indicating that funds to transport them were not available.
“The pupils have been paying a sports levy and it infuriated them that their funds had been diverted for other purposes,” he said.
The area’s councillor Phakamisa Sibanda said it had come to the attention of parents that children were missing lessons as the headmaster held lengthy meetings with teachers.
He said a meeting was held on Tuesday and disgruntled villagers said they wanted Muvimi to be transferred from the school.
Sibanda said parents were not happy with the turn of events since the headmaster assumed office.
He said it was difficult to resolve the matter as the headmaster was continuously dodging meetings.
Muvimi declined to comment.
Mangwe District Education Officer Headman Mpofu said the headmaster had not officially communicated with his office on the matter. He said they would intervene once an official report had been submitted.
Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director Tumisang Thabela said she was not aware of problems at the school.
A teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity said Muvimi constantly insulted and undermined teachers in the presence of pupils and parents.
“Since the term started, we’ve only managed to conduct a handful of lessons. Muvimi keeps us locked up in the staff room for the whole day claiming that he wants us to be well equipped on PLAP (Performance Lag Address Programme),” said the teacher.
“He has been torturing us more than empowering us because he has been detaining us in the staff room sometimes from 8AM to 7PM. On some days he has been depriving us of a chance to go to the toilet or go for lunch.”
She said during the meetings, pupils spend the day roaming around the school. She said they recently wrote a petition to the headmaster pleading with him to address their concerns but he dismissed their grievances.
“We’re insulted and threatened frequently, even in front of pupils and parents. Muvimi is constantly harassing us and at times he instructs the deputy head to come to our houses in the middle of the night to demand school work and give us instructions on school work,” said the teacher.
Muvimi joined the school at beginning of the term after he was moved from Mambale High School following complaints from teachers there.
The teachers alleged that he had composed 44 jingles which he was forcing teachers and pupils to recite each day as a way of improving the school’s pass rates. Some parents threatened to withdraw their children from the school because of the manner in which he was running the school.
Muvimi joined Mambale High School which is also in Mangwe District in 2012 after serving as a Deputy Head at Plumtree High School.
Online Reporter