Some Mhlatane High School parents have raised concerns after pupils at the school were allegedly tasked with cleaning toilets despite the school having a worker employed to perform the same duty.
According to some parents, the development was disturbing as the employee hired to clean the toilets was reportedly still being paid while pupils were assigned the task.
The concerned parents argued that this situation was not appropriate, saying learners should focus on their academic work rather than cleaning duties.
The school has recently been in the spotlight following a dispute involving some support staff who were retrenched by the school administration.
The retrenched support staff accused the school of unfairly handling the payment of their exit packages, alleging they were paid far less than what they were entitled to.
The matter has since been taken to the High Court, where it is still awaiting an outcome.
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Some parents argued that if pupils were being tasked with cleaning the school, the administration should not have retrenched the workers. Instead, they said the school should have found alternative arrangements rather than assigning such duties to learners.
However, the school’s Headteacher Dr Siphiwe Dludlu said, according to their knowledge, there was indeed someone responsible for cleaning the toilets who was being paid by the school.
She explained that pupils cleaning certain areas of the school was part of normal school practices aimed at teaching responsibility and hygiene.
“We do have someone responsible for cleaning the toilets and if pupils are assigned to clean them, it does not mean they are being punished. This is something that has been done in schools since time immemorial,” she said.
| In many schools across the region, learners participate in school cleaning
routines as part of life-skills development, although the practice sometimes
sparks debate when cleaning staff are employed at the same institutions.
