/ 8 April 2013

Motshekga quiet on looming Sadtu teacher go-slow

Motshekga Quiet On Looming Sadtu Teacher Go Slow

"The minister will not comment on the matter," her spokesperson Hope Mokgatlhe said in an SMS on Monday.

The South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) said on Monday its members would embark on a national go-slow when inland schools reopened on Tuesday. Coastal schools reopened on Monday.

They would report to schools only to teach, and would not perform extra duties, such as marking, hosting departmental visits, or attending workshops, said Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke.

"Supplementary exams that were written in February will not be marked. They are usually attended to in April," he said.

According to Maluleke, teachers wanted the resignation of Motshekga and education department director general Bobby Soobrayan.

"The minister [Motshekga] is failing the nation and she continues to undermine collective bargaining. Her leadership is affecting the quality of education," he said.

The education department also failed to honour a 2011 agreement to increase the salaries of matric exam markers.

Teachers were up in arms earlier this year when government proposed that education be made an essential service, making it unlawful for teachers to strike. – Sapa