Fewer teachers in NWest - union

2008-01-09 18:20

Johannesburg - There were about 1 000 fewer teachers in the North West at the opening of schools on Wednesday as the provincial Education Department had not renewed their contracts, a teachers' union claimed.

"Many classrooms will be without teachers... due to the non-renewal of their contracts by the North West Education Department," said SA Democratic Teachers Union provincial secretary Brian Setswambung.

Quoting data from the Human Sciences Research Council, he said this came at a time when inland provinces had an estimated teacher shortage of 15 000.

"In our view this move constitutes a recipe for disastrous matric results in 2008 as valuable teaching time will be lost as schools reopen..."

Setswambung added that the current post provisioning model - which allocated teachers to schools based on subject weighting and pupil numbers - was also eroding teaching posts.

"We call on the department to renew all contracts of temporary teachers and, as a matter of urgency, to make all temporary appointments permanent."

Education Department spokesperson Charles Raseala said no teacher shortages were expected in the North West.

He said the department had decided not to have a blanket extension of temporary teaching posts. Each school qualified for a certain number of teachers and they could fill gaps by applying for temporary contracts.

"As we speak temporary contracts are being approved and schools are making applications."

He added that the post provisioning model was agreed on at national level between employers, teachers and their unions.

Raseala said the only problem experienced at schools on Wednesday was parents arriving to register their children.

This was despite campaigns that had begun in June 2007 to encourage parents to enrol their children early.

He said he had seen queues of parents outside two out of four schools the department visited in villages around Mafikeng and Mmabatho.

- SAPA