Important agreements reached last month in the Education Labour Relations Council promise to bring more stability to a profession that has long been plagued by insecurity. The four resolutions will have major implications for the most vulnerable in the teaching force, including temporary teachers and underqualified teachers.
The main implications for the teaching profession are:
– excess educators, who have been in a state of limbo for the past three years, will now have the opportunity to be placed in permanent positions;
– underqualified teachers (those below REQV13 – a matric plus three years of teacher training) will now be permanently appointed. Although they will still be regarded as underqualified, their job security and access to benefits will be much improved;
– people not trained as educators, but who have skills needed at schools (such as musicians or engineers) will now have the opportunity to be permanently employed;
– recently graduated teachers will be able to apply for positions advertised on the open vacancy lists.
Deputy Minister of Education Mosibudi Mangena described the agreements as being “good for the profession”, and said the space for young blood would rejuvenate the education system.
The issue of leave, however, continues to be a sore point between the Department of Education and teacher unions. According to the department, educators may not take leave during term time, only during school holidays.
In the view of unions such as the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), however, leave should remain separate from school holidays.
Sadtu representative Hassen Lorgat says such a move will compromise teachers’ rights, and that the issue is non-negotiable.
– The Teacher/M&Media, Johannesburg, August 2001.