Eight weeks of closure leaves 300+ students stranded, no end in sight for disputing authorities
BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
EIGHT weeks of closure is depriving the 300-plus students of Manddela Primary school of their education.
An impasse between the school’s owner and the deputy head teacher since semester one is still without compromise, leaving parents and guardians to become worried for their children’s education.
Manddela Inclusive Primary School is an extension of the mother school, Lungga Primary School, which is under the Guadalcanal education authority.
Guadalcanal EA in response has stepped in advising students of Manddela to enrol at Lungga primary school, and teachers to be deployed back to Lungga PS.
Founder of Manddela, Mrs Linda Pauka Ago’okah, insists that this is an internal matter which is getting out of hand.
She tells Island Sun that she had written to her deputy head teacher on June 19 instructing her to resume duties at the school, offering to settle their dispute amicably.
In her letter she highlighted the importance of the students’ education as paramount, hence the need to have the school re-opened.
However, in a twist of events, Lungga PS referred the matter over to the Guadalcanal EA, to which the province’s authority had reacted as mentioned.
In a letter to Mrs Ago’okah, CEO for Guadalcanal EA, Maesac Suia, provided her with four resolutions as their stand on the Manddela issue;
(i) The GP education Division to recall all posted teachers to Manddela Primary school to the mother school (Lungga PS) with immediate effect,
(ii) Students of Manddela Primary school are welcome to enrol at Lungga PS whereby parents and children are to be informed by the Lungga mother school,
(iii) Manddela Primary School Management to pursue registering the school as a private school and the GP education office will continue to support Mrs Linda and the current school Board of Management to register the school as a private school and
(iv) Should GPEA deploy teachers in 2018 and beyond to Manddela Inclusive, an MOU must be agreed and signed by the school management and GP Education Office.
It is understood that all parties are currently at stalemate with no foreseeable solutions, leaving students, parents and guardians at a crossroad over the students’ schooling for the remainder of 2017.
