/ 5 April 2013

Bring back professionalism in the classroom

It's in everyone's interest for education standards to be improved.
It's in everyone's interest for education standards to be improved.

Luthando Lukhozi writes that "Suits and ties won't fix poor schools" (Letters, March 22) and asks whether Public Service and Administration Minister Lindiwe Sisulu expects a teacher to have money to buy suits.

What the minister is calling for is the restoration of professionalism in teaching, with teachers in class teaching for seven hours a day. If South Africa is to achieve its goals of eradicating poverty and improving living conditions, a functional educational system is not negotiable.

The minister knows that this requires an enabling environment as created by the state – the employer. The presidential remuneration commission is being set up to look at how public servants are rewarded, with the first phase focusing on educators. The commission will investigate the remuneration and conditions of service of all state employees.

Sisulu said: "We cannot move forward without paying attention to the working conditions of teachers."

But what the state gives in terms of the rewards must be accompanied by results – in this case, an improvement in the quality of the education of our children. This is not only the minister of basic education's responsibility, but also that of all of us with an interest in seeing South Africa succeed. – Ndivhuwo Mabaya, spokesperson for the public service and administration minister