As coastal schools begin their 2012 school year on Wednesday 11 January and on the 18th of January for inland schools, we would like to welcome all teachers and learners back to school. We extend a special word of welcome to the learners who will be experiencing schooling for the first time in Grade 1.  We hope the teachers and learners have rested well and are recharged to give 2012 their best shot.

SADTU will make the training and development of teachers its main focus area this year. We believe training and development of teachers is the key in delivering quality education.

We will engage with Education Ministers, Basic Education Department and Higher Education and Training Department to implement the agreed upon national strategy for teacher development.  We will also put into operation our institute for professional development to provide quality training programmes for teachers and education workers.

Our institute will address some of the ethical issues in the training of teachers. To this end the Department of Basic Education has to provide urgent funding for training. SADTU has conducted a research in school in Mpumalanga province to inform our training programmes in order to ensure quality teaching.

The shortage of teachers in township and rural schools is likely to continue as the system is unable to produce enough teachers. We therefore continue to call for the reopening of teacher colleges in order to train more teachers and provide quality teaching.
Our 2030 Vision calls upon the union to create a learning nation and to this end we shall ensure that the reopened colleges provide life long learning for teachers in terms of in-service training in areas where the system is underperforming. These areas are Language of instruction which is an additional language in most of our schools.  An intensive training in areas of mathematics, science and commercial subjects is crucial for our economic growth. This will depend, to a large extent, on the development of languages.

The issue of Eastern Cape temporary educators, whose contracts were not renewed last year, still remains unsolved. We call for the speedy resolution of the matter so that it does not affect the school calendar year.
SADTU – with the majority of its members working in under-resourced rural and township schools, again commits itself to the delivery of quality education through the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) which calls on all stakeholders to jointly take responsibility for improving the quality of education.

Our members will be fully prepared to engage with their tasks from the very first day of school. However, teachers cannot do it alone without the involvement of all stakeholders.

We therefore call upon the department of education to do the following:

• Provide quality development programmes for teachers and other education personnel;
• Build the necessary capacities and support at district and provincial levels;
• Finalize the Post Provisioning Model to respond to the huge class sizes in township and rural schools.
• Provide curriculum support and managerial infrastructure to support schools, governing bodies, principals and educators;
• Correct and timeous provision of the learning and teaching materials to schools.
• Allocate correct funding to schools on time;
• Immediate filling of vacant teaching and administrative posts; 
• Roll-out of training to support the implementation of the new Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS);
• Finalize outstanding OSD matters such as education management systems and office-based personnel;  
• Improve the conditions of service for teachers in Adult Basic Education and Early Childhood Development (ECD).

It is also important that the school governing bodies, parents and learners commit themselves to making the year 2012 a success.
As part of our strategic goal to create a learning nation, we call upon our parents and community based organizations interested in education to help our schools to be drug-free environments and ensure maximum discipline by learners.

We are convinced that by working together – holding each other to account and striving for improved quality in the system – we can further build on the encouraging 70,2% 2011 matric results.

SADTU would like to commend its members and teachers for the sterling work done in 2011 which led to the improved matric results.  We therefore urge the institutions of higher learning to accommodate all qualifying learners. We would like plead with NAFSAS to reach out to disadvantaged learners from townships and rural areas and provide them with the necessary financial support.  Learners who did not make it last year must look at options available to complete their matric such as FET institutions, writing supplementary exams, Adult  Education and training institutions. They may even seek re-admission at schools.

Following in the footsteps of NEDLAC and COSATU, we are going to fully engage in initiatives aimed at adopting poor performing schools and provide the necessary support in order to ensure all schools perform better in 2012 and beyond.

ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat