Durban – School principals found to be “bullies” will soon face the music.
Overwhelmed by complaints against “abusive” school principals, the Educators’ Union of South Africa (EUSA) said it was investigating cases of teachers who had resigned from their posts due to being bullied, were suspended for minor infractions or were considering leaving the profession.
EUSA said principals found to be bullying teachers would be reported to the education department.
EUSA president Scelo Isaac Bhengu said their investigations indicated that many teachers were under too much stress and were suffering depression from being bullied.
He said most teachers affected by bullying were new in the system and employed by school governing bodies (SGB).
“The teachers tend not to report these incidents for fear of losing their jobs,” Bhengu said.
He said the biggest bullies were male principals who had been in the system for many years and still used the traditional ways of managing schools.
Vicky Prithraj, the co-founder of a programme which offers workshops on bullying, said the problem of principals bullying teachers had led to the extension of the programme to teachers and school managers.
“In most schools, the principal has the final word and cannot be challenged. This causes a lot of problems in the running of the school. We intervene by hosting bullying workshops,” Prithraj said.
Education department spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa said there was a need for a change in the management approach by some principals, to accept that teachers and pupils had rights.
Bullying of teachers contributed to instability at schools, he said.
“Some principals struggle to embrace change and respect teachers’ labour and personal rights and dignity. Their authority must not be challenged,” said Mthethwa.
He encouraged teachers to report bullying to the circuit manager.
In one case, a principal refused a teacher a transfer, although it had been approved by the department.
“The principal would not let me go. This is bullying. I am now suffering from depression and stress. I am scared to go against his authority,” the teacher said.
Another teacher said his principal suspended him for not attending winter classes, although the classes were voluntary and he had notified the school of his unavailability in advance.
Another teacher posted on social media seeking advice after she was dismissed without notice. The SGB was not happy with her performance, she said. “I was called in and told that the principal was going to charge me with poor work performance, and I was told I should resign. So I resigned. I was bullied into resigning,” she said.
A Durban schoolteacher said she was attacked by her principal, in front of other teachers, for arriving three minutes late for a meeting.
“I tried to ask if he had received my message telling him I was running late, but he did not care. He went on shouting at me. I had not been late to school before,” she said.
Thirona Moodley, of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa, said they received many complaints from SGB-employed teachers.
“They suffer a double blow from abusive principals and SGB members who are their employers,” Moodley said.