The country’s biggest teacher’s union wants Eastern Cape education to stop paying millions of rands to consultants.
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) says the money should instead be channelled into employing more teachers and buying more textbooks for schools.
Sadtu’s provincial task team facilitator in the Eastern Cape, Thabile Kunene, who was addressing more than 2000 members from the union’s eastern region during a teacher’s forum meeting in Mthatha yesterday, said the provincial education department had practically been run by consultants last year.
The region consists of Libode, Ngqeleni, Ngcobo, Elliotdale, Port St Johns, Elliot, Qumbu, Mqanduli and Mthatha, among others.
“We have a challenge where R530-million was returned to National Treasury last year,” said Kunene.
“Yet we have schools that do not have furniture and schools that were damaged by storms that have yet to be repaired.”
The Daily Dispatch has previously quoted provincial education spokesman Loyiso Pulumani as saying that the department had already identified about 105 storm-ravaged schools across the province that needed fixing.
Kunene said there were many schools that had also been vandalised due to violent uprisings by angry pupils which the department had failed to fix.
Others, like Sandi Senior Secondary School in Libode, were only left with five teachers after the others were chased away by protesting pupils.
He said the school was still waiting for the department to employ more teachers.
“We still have schools like DZ Dumezweni Senior Secondary School where its principal was displaced as far back as 2015.”
Kunene said all this pointed to a situation where the Eastern Cape would always lag behind other provinces when it came to producing quality results, especially in Grade 12.
He said they had been calling for the department to employ temporary teachers to fill some of the vacancies in schools.
“But that process should be done during the preceding year so that when schools open for the new year, no one would still be talking about movement and re-deployment of teachers where their services are needed,” said Kunene.
The Dispatch has previously reported that some of the violent protests were influenced by no-fee paying schools charging pupils for extra-curricular activities.
Kunene said they had written to education MEC Mandla Makupula and provincial ANC chairman Phumulo Masualle last month, requesting a meeting to discuss the crisis engulfing the education department.
He said the only response received from Makupula’s office was to acknowledge receipt of the letter. “Turning around education will not happen overnight. It should be a process but the starting point should be that meeting.” — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Sadtu says enough of expensive consultants
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) says the money should instead be channelled into employing more teachers and buying more textbooks for schools.
Sadtu’s provincial task team facilitator in the Eastern Cape, Thabile Kunene, who was addressing more than 2000 members from the union’s eastern region during a teacher’s forum meeting in Mthatha yesterday, said the provincial education department had practically been run by consultants last year.
The region consists of Libode, Ngqeleni, Ngcobo, Elliotdale, Port St Johns, Elliot, Qumbu, Mqanduli and Mthatha, among others.
“We have a challenge where R530-million was returned to National Treasury last year,” said Kunene.
“Yet we have schools that do not have furniture and schools that were damaged by storms that have yet to be repaired.”
The Daily Dispatch has previously quoted provincial education spokesman Loyiso Pulumani as saying that the department had already identified about 105 storm-ravaged schools across the province that needed fixing.
Kunene said there were many schools that had also been vandalised due to violent uprisings by angry pupils which the department had failed to fix.
Others, like Sandi Senior Secondary School in Libode, were only left with five teachers after the others were chased away by protesting pupils.
He said the school was still waiting for the department to employ more teachers.
“We still have schools like DZ Dumezweni Senior Secondary School where its principal was displaced as far back as 2015.”
Kunene said all this pointed to a situation where the Eastern Cape would always lag behind other provinces when it came to producing quality results, especially in Grade 12.
He said they had been calling for the department to employ temporary teachers to fill some of the vacancies in schools.
“But that process should be done during the preceding year so that when schools open for the new year, no one would still be talking about movement and re-deployment of teachers where their services are needed,” said Kunene.
The Dispatch has previously reported that some of the violent protests were influenced by no-fee paying schools charging pupils for extra-curricular activities.
Kunene said they had written to education MEC Mandla Makupula and provincial ANC chairman Phumulo Masualle last month, requesting a meeting to discuss the crisis engulfing the education department.
He said the only response received from Makupula’s office was to acknowledge receipt of the letter. “Turning around education will not happen overnight. It should be a process but the starting point should be that meeting.” — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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