FIVE teachers that were ordered to vacate Ndangababi Primary School at Cross Dete in Hwange, Matabeleland North province, are reportedly refusing to do so.

Parents and guardians with children at the school recently accused five teachers of incompetence, insubordination and disrespecting traditional and community leaders.

They demanded that the Primary and Secondary Education ministry removes them from the school.

School Development Committee deputy chairperson Olitha Ndlovu said the teachers were refusing to leave the school even after the ministry advised them to seek transfers to other schools.

She said the teachers in question were Nkosana Toddy Ngwenya, Nelly Chisiwa, Ruvirai Sgauke, Mkhululi Maphosa and Nyika Ndaguta.

Maphosa and Ngwenya were reportedly from Tsholotsho in Matabeleland North, while the other three were from Mashonaland provinces.

“The situation was bad here. Our school had roofs of classroom blocks blown away by strong winds in 2019. It was renovated by council through devolution funds. But the behaviour of some of the senior teachers who have overstayed at the school is now worrying us,” Ndlovu said.

“These teachers do not respect the school head, they do not respect village heads. Even if the headman visits the school, they utter a lot of disrespectful things.”

She said the under-fire educators would ask villagers where their educated children are to teach at the school and label people in Matabeleland as un-educated.

“So we had a challenge that our pass rate was falling and the enrolment was decreasing. The school usually has 700 plus enrolment, but last year we were at 621, now it’s at 512, because people are transferring their children every day due to the low pass rate. There are junior teachers who are working, but these seniors are a problem and have a bad influence on the juniors, which resulted in us writing a letter to the district schools inspector (DSI) so that they (senior teachers) are removed from the school. They are refusing to leave.”

She said the ministry advised them that since the community no longer wants the five facilitators, they should visit the ministry offices so that the teachers get redeployed.

“We cannot have teachers who insult us in front of our children when there are a lot of unemployed teachers,” Ndlovu said.

Hwange DSI Walter Moyo directed Southern Eye to Matabeleland North provincial education director, Jabulani Mpofu for comment.

“Mpofu is the one who can comment on this issue,” Moyo said.

Mpofu was continually not picking calls when contacted since Tuesday.

Primary and Secondary Education minister spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said: “The matter is under investigation.”

Efforts to get comments from the teachers in question were fruitless as their mobile numbers were not reachable. Parents and guardians recently alleged that the teachers hardly conducted lessons as they spent most of their time conducting private business.

The SDC last week reportedly convened a meeting attended by parents, traditional leaders, representatives of the Dete Residents Association and officials from the Education ministry, where it was resolved that the teachers should leave the school. 

They were given up to Monday this week to do so.

Ndlovu said each time the parents and local leaders arrive at the school, the teachers would disappear.

Indications are that the ministry told parents that the teachers would