RUNDU – A school principal at Satotwa Junior Primary School in Kavango West’s Katjinakatji education circuit, accused of severely assaulting a parent of one of his pupils last year after the parent complained of his absenteeism, has seemingly escaped any action from the education directorate.
He allegedly clobbered the parent, breaking his jaw and leaving him for dead, days after the parent had complained of the principal’s absence at a parents’ meeting at the school.
The principal appeared not to have attended the parents’ meeting and only became aware of the specific parent’s complaint after reading minutes of the meeting.
The incident happened last year during the first school term. Kosmas Katura, the investigation officer in the matter who is also the education circuit inspector, and the education ministry’s human resources division, forwarded their recommendation to the director’s office to charge the principal with misconduct but this has not been complied with, New Era understands.
The director was on an official trip to China and subsequently went on leave upon her return from Asia until the seven days within which she was supposed to have charged the principal had lapsed.
“Disciplinary actions were taken against the staff member, however due to administrative delays at the directorate level the appointment of a disciplinary committee could not materialise within the required time of seven days from the day the staff member pleaded. The directorate is exploring all avenues to ensure that due justice prevails. We have since taken corrective measures to ensure that similar incidents will not be repeated in future,” said Teopolina Hamutumua, director of education in Kavango West Region.
New Era was also informed that last school term the human resources division went to the school to get the principal to sign for receipt of his misconduct charge but he allegedly refused to sign the charge sheet and only went to the education office later when he realised there was another misconduct charge on its way should he have refused to sign. He was charged with misconduct and when the charge sheet reached the director’s office the director was not available as well as the acting director in order to effect the misconduct charge and subsequent dismissal, which was supposed to be signed within seven days, the policy limitation. The aggressive headmaster is now a free man as the education directorate can’t do anything to him because the official limitation for the director’s signature to appoint a chairperson of the disciplinary committee to act on the charges had lapsed.
New Era has also learned that the director is in discussion with the circuit inspector to transfer the principal to another school because the directorate had failed to discipline him for his aggressive behaviour towards the parent.