…SDC ropes in lawyers to call for another AGM
By Beverly Bizeki
Victoria Primary School in Masvingo’s former School Development Committee (SDC) has roped in the services of lawyers to call for a fresh Annual General Meeting (AGM) referring to the just-ended AGM as null and avoid.
In a legal appeal to the District Schools Inspector (DSI) Ishmael Chigaba through Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners, the SDC called on the authority to nullify the previous AGM and allow proper officials to call for another meeting.
“We have instructions from our above-mentioned client that there is to be held a handover takeover ceremony on Friday, April 12 following an illegal AGM held on March 26. We would like to bring to your attention that our client informs that the purported AGM on the 26th was fraught with irregularities, so fatal that it is null and void.
“Whereof our client seeks your response within 48 hours however, if you agree that the violations were fatal, demands that the resolutions of the March 26 AGM be nullified and another AGM be called by the proper officials within two weeks from date of receipt of this letter. Failure of which legal action will be taken without further notice,” reads part of the letter.
The SDC cited that the AGM had irregularities as the school head conducted the meeting on his own without both the SDC chair and treasurer, also citing the meeting was done without the required 20 percent to make a quorum.
“In terms of section 1.4.2 of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) Handbook, only the chairperson of the outgoing SDC calls and presides over an AGM. In the present case, it was the headmaster who invited and presided over the AGM in blatant violation of this provision.
“The treasurer did not present the financial report as required by the same section. The clerk and secretary overtook this job in further violation of the provisions of the handbook. Further, there is a requirement that 20 percent of the parents should attend the meeting. In this case only 153 parents out of an enrolment of more than 1 700 students attended. A minimum of 340 parents were needed to legitimize the AGM. Without a quorum the decisions or resolutions of the AGM are invalid and binding,” added part of the letter.
School Head Dr Rameck Mashuro and District Schools Inspector Ishmael Chigaba said they could not comment on the matter as it was now in the hands of the Provincial Education Director Shylette Mhike whose cell went unanswered when she was contacted for a comment.
The AGM was conducted on March 26 despite the committee having pushed for another date but was marred with conflicts amongst parents, the committee, and the administration. It also attracted negativity among analysts in the education sector.
The school head and the DSI however have been on record for saying the meeting was justified as the ministry had a mandate to train the committees and Victoria Primary was among the few schools left that had not conducted its AGM to select a new committee.
