Opinion: "Open letter to SCS students and parents" by Saba Guru

 

Dear Editor,

I like to address this opinion piece directly towards the students and parents of the Saba Comprehensive School. Since they are the most important stakeholders in this educational institute.
Why specifically to them because many parents have asked me to write about the following items, and myself having a child in school allows me to express my sincere concerns about all developments.

Why do I not have a meeting with the director? He has already ignored my request for a meeting three times. He refers me to the PTA or the medezeggenschapsraad. But I want to see him because the suspension of my child was decided by him and no one else.

Apparently some parents made him so scared that he no longer wants to meet Saban Parents because they will give it to him like he has never seen before. With other words; the principal has the situation between parents and management not under control. He has given them card-blanche to run the school according to their liking.

Other reasons why this letter to parents and students:
1. Nowadays we are able to set fire in classrooms and put this on Facebook. Great Propaganda

2. Nowadays we are able to smoke a joint behind the gym. Great Propaganda

3. Nowadays more students are suspended from school than ever before. This educational management style goes against all normal principals and shows me that the director has things not under control. (Have the suspensions been reported to the inspection)

4. Nowadays children, who get a fit, have to stay in school. No ambulance is called. Parents are informed about this. This is a life and death threatening situation and the director likes to take responsible for this?

5. The Dutch Teacher is having on a regular basis a senior consultant in class to observe and report about her teaching and subject knowledge content. This senior consultant has no qualifications to do so, nor the experience and expertise to do so. So Mr. Director did you get her in this most extraordinary position where she makes an extra income besides her pension? Are there no other persons on Saba who could do this? What could have been the role of the school coach in this? Do we now have to assume that this Dutch teacher is not qualified and therefore needs an old-timer to be called in to train this teacher skills from1960? Was this job advertised as requested? Mr. Director you are making extremely ridiculous decisions which are all illegal. How does the board think about this?

6. The upcoming inspection has got you dancing Mr. Director. The results needed to meet the criteria mentioned in the inspection report and evaluation committee report will be far from your bed show. You will be lucky if you will survive, but your contribution to
– divide the school into cultural ethnic groups,
– to take away the heart of the school,
– to de-motivate students for coming to school,
– to de-motivate teachers to run the extra mile to make SCS the best,
– to stimulate and motivate students and parents to contribute to a better SCS,
– to make ad hoc decisions without consulting ANYONE from management team or staff
– to create unprofessional PUBLIC confrontations between staff members which are observed by non-teaching staff and students.
– To instruct teachers and staff members what they can say and cannot say to the inspection is a pure form of indoctrination and bullying. Is just enorming. You have succeeded in all the above areas. Unfortunately they do not belong to the inspectorate criteria and will therefore have an effect on your individual.

7. Communication to parents and students. I can’t remember that I received an updated letter from the school stating what is going on and when the upcoming examinations will be for all forms. Normally this was in November. So far we did not hear from you at all. So I went to check the internet website of the school to see if anything was there, and guess what I found:
– There is no information about the school board members
– The latest newsletter from the medenzeggenschapsraad is from February 2015. According to the school website, they should meet every 6 – 8 weeks and report publicly.
– The item “POLICIES” is deleted
– The curriculum for Pro, Lower Forms, Vocational Forms and Academic Forms are all from 2014, when Mr. Hemmie was Principal. No development has taken place in this area.
– The school has only one exam period 13 – 24 June 2016. This means that students will not be sitting a proper test/exam during the school year. So can someone tell me what the report card figure is based on?
– According to the website the school has one director (without any background info after 1/5 year) and two management team members. Was there not a third person in the past in order to make a uneven quorum when voting needed to be done?
– Non-teaching staff is completely not up to date (that after 1/5 years)
– It looks as if the care coordinator does not exist on the website
– Compliments to teachers because the all have they info on the school website
– The chapter: letters sent home to parents 2013 – 2014: has nothing in it. The next year does not even exist.

With all this said dear Parents and Students, it will become clear that you are not taken seriously at all the most important shareholder in the school. There is no communication to us, the website is far from outdated, (and that in 2015) and requesting a visit to meet the director is ignored over and over again unless threatened by a parents.

And that Mr. Director is your strength. You don’t show any educational management qualification skills. You have no communication skills, you lack curriculum development skills, you lack inter- and intra- personal skills, you lack cultural diversity skills and above all, you lack passion for learning. And that for a financial monthly contribution which is higher than our local commissioners.

You show me to be a frustrated captain on a sinking ship who is trying to do everything to save his sinking ship and most of all his own skin. You should be ashamed of what you have accomplished over the last two years. Previous opinion pieces I wrote confirm what I am writing here today. No one can question this.

And where is the appointed school board in this? After all they are completely responsible for this mess.

Saba Guru