John Muyamba
RUNDU – A school principal at Satotwa Junior Primary School in Katjinakatji Education Circuit in Kavango West, over a month ago severely assaulted a parent of one of his pupils after the parent complained of his absenteeism.
He allegedly clobbered the parent breaking his jaw and left him for dead.
The incident was confirmed by the director of education for Kavango West Region, Teopolina Hamutumua, who said the directorate of education has also been briefed based on the preliminary investigation.
According to sources privy to information on the issue, the school held a parent meeting in April, where they discussed various topics concerning the school. When they touched on the topic of learner absenteeism, the parent whose jaw was shattered raised the issue of staff absenteeism and said the principal must lead by example as he is also not always around the school.
The particular parent who has since been sent to Windhoek for medical care, allegedly complained that the principal always leaves the school on Thursday, only to resurface on Monday afternoon and he only stays for two days and disappears again. “During that meeting, the principal was also not around and when he came back to the school, he was informed on what had transpired in that meeting, he then sent that particular learner to go home and call his father. When he got home, he could not get him because he was at their mahangu field far from home. When the parent came back from the field, he bumped into the principal at one of the teachers’ homestead where traditional alcohol is sold, the principal allegedly attacked him,” said the source who requested for anonymity for fear of reprisals from the heavy-handed principal, who is said to have an explosive persona.
Teachers and parents tread carefully around him.
The circuit inspector Kosmas Katura confirmed the incident upon inquiry, saying it happened in April.
He said the case has been investigated as he went there to investigate and sent his findings to Kavango West Director of Education Hamutumua. “Whilst in Nkurenkuru, I received an text message from a parent who said that they were in a meeting at school and the particular parent who spoke about teachers’ absenteeism was later beaten by the principal and had his jaw broken. In that message the parent said their kids are not attending school because they are afraid,” said the inspector.
The education directorate despite being aware of the incident have not taken any action in the matter. “The matter must be investigated because now he is making the whole village to fear him, even if you go there now, the whole village will not talk because they are intimidated, they fear him because he has demonstrated what he is capable of. Even you when you write it, you must be careful,” the source further cautioned this journalist.
According to another source, even if the victim decided not to open the case with the police the ministry was supposed to charge the suspect departmentally with gross misconduct.
When approached for comment, Hamutumua confirmed she has been informed of the incident and that the directorate of education was aware of what has happened as she has received the preliminary investigation of the incident from the inspector of education in that circuit.
“The directorate was notified of the incident on April 10, 2018, exactly as you have described it. On April 11, 2018, we sent the inspector for Katjinakatji Circuit to do a preliminary investigation. A preliminary report was compiled, finalised and submitted to the Human Resources Office, through the Director, on the provision of the Public Service Act and its regulations,” Hamutumua said.