Gustav Thiel
EDUCATION Minister Sibusiso Bengu admitted=20 this week that his department’s offer of=20 voluntary severance packages to teachers=20 has caused enormous financial strain to the=20 already cash-strapped public school system.
In an interview with the Mail & Guardian he=20 called for “a thorough rethink of the=20 structure, specifically of severance=20 packages”.
The education department has offered=20 severance to teachers as part of a plan to=20 correct imbalances in provincial education=20 – a strategy approved by teacher unions=20 last year.
The budgets of the better-endowed =20 provinces such as Gauteng and the Western=20 Cape were to be cut in favour of poorer=20 provinces, and teachers in over-staffed=20 schools across the country were offered a=20 choice of voluntary severance or=20 redeployment to the poorer areas.
But while teachers have opted in droves for=20 severance packages – many of which are=20 worth millions of rands – few have agreed=20 to relocate.
The result has been the loss to South=20 African schools of thousands of their most=20 experienced teachers and millions of rands.
“The trend thus far,” Bengu said, `’is that=20 teachers prefer severance to redeployment=20 and this costs money .”
Bengu said his department would be holding=20 talks about the issue in the near future.
“I’m convinced that the structure of=20 voluntary severance packages must be re- evaluated,” he said. “Changes to the exact=20 nature of how we approach the problem will=20 be made and we will have to be very=20 creative to achieve a suitable solution.”
Bengu defended the policy itself, however,=20 saying the “outcry” against it was based on=20 “unscientific information”.
“We are doing a study to see how the system=20 failed.” Until the study is completed, he=20 said, he could not speculate on what went=20 wrong, or on what could be done to improve=20 the situation.
He said he remained committed to the=20 policy, despite what he acknowledged had=20 been a “disruption in learning” as a=20 result. “I must confess that this has=20 unfortunately happened,” he said.
The ministry has been unable to produce any=20 figures on the number of teachers=20 redeployed, or even how many teachers the=20 provinces have on their books.=20
Nearly 12 000 teachers have been granted=20 the voluntary severance packages, and=20 another 6 000 teachers have applied, with=20 thousands more expected to apply this year.
“We will always be wearing our thinking=20 caps and cannot say what will happen in=20 future,” he said.
Bengu met heads of universities and=20 technikons this week to discuss impending=20 cuts to government subsidies – a move which=20 could hamper plans to widen tertiary=20 education to bring in more disadvantaged=20 students. The institutions have warned that=20 budget cuts will force them to reduce=20 support to poorer students.=20
Bengu suggested earlier this week that=20 there may be cause for optimism following=20 discussions with the finance ministry.=20
But he declined to comment on the=20 discussions, only saying the outcome would=20 be made public early in February.
“I remain confident that the money will be=20 found from somewhere to ensure that a high=20 level of education is attained in the=20 country,” he said.