Sadtu missing opportunity for debate
2013-03-06 20:27
Johannesburg - Teacher union Sadtu is missing an
opportunity to add to the debate on teaching being an essential service, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Wednesday.
"Such a resolution is intended to focus on improving
the education of a black child," Mantashe said in a statement.
"This resolution will ensure that we provide education
that will contribute to the socio-economic transformation and emancipation of a
black child in the South African economy."
During the ANC's conference last year in Mangaung there
was consensus that education had to be protected from disruptions.
Strikes and service delivery protests had negatively
affected the stability of schools and the quality of education, the ANC said.
Last month Mantashe said the ANC and government would
make sure education was declared an essential service.
There needed to be an attitude change towards education.
Whether this would be legislated would be decided after a
process of ensuring there was buy-in and all sectors of society saw education
as an essential service.
The ANC's alliance partner, the Congress of SA Trade
Unions (Cosatu), and education affiliates rejected this. Unions said making
education an essential service would not fix the problems within the sector.
Mantashe said the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu)
had become accustomed to calling for resignations of senior officials in the
basic education department.
The ANC hoped Sadtu's leadership would contribute to the
resolution of ensuring that education became an essential service.
On Tuesday, Sadtu called for Basic Education Minister
Angie Motshekga to resign.
It accused Motshekga of having withdrawn an agreement
that protected collective bargaining.
At the time education department spokesperson Hope
Mokgatlhe declined to comment.
She said in a statement the minister was disappointed to
hear from Sadtu via the media.
- SAPA
