SADTU IN KZN STATEMENT ON THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW MEC FOR EDUCATION
20 June 2024
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) in KwaZulu Natal welcomes and congratulates the newly appointed MEC for Education, Honourable Siphosihle Emmanuel Hlomuka.
SADTU is hopeful and has confidence that the new MEC is capable enough to deliver on the demands of his new department. Hon Hlomuka is not new in government, and this is what convinces us that he has what it takes to steer this ship forward.
The MEC must know that he is taking over a very complex department with more than 100 000 workers of which the majority are teachers. Of importance, the new MEC is now responsible for a department with millions of learners who depend on people like him as the MEC to realise the aspirations of our Constitution which declared education as a basic human right with schools having to ensure that they deliver quality education.
As a political leader, the MEC must help create stability in the department. We want a department where all workers (school and office based) feel welcomed, recognised, and appreciated and this will translate to a motivated workforce committed to advancing and supporting quality public education delivery.
As he comes in, the 2023 National Senior Certificate examinations results moved our province to position number two (2) in the country. SADTU holds a view that these results were a product of hard work by teachers with little support from the department. These results confirmed that the education system has matured in the province. However, if it is not supported, all will crumble.
The advice that SADTU wants to give to the new MEC is as follows:
- Prioritise the Quality Learning and Teaching campaign through mobilising all stakeholders and education loving people to participate in protecting schools and support SADTU’s school safety campaign, “I Am a School Fan.”
- Respect collective bargaining and commit to improving conditions of service of all workers including teachers, administration staff, Grade R practitioners, security, and general workers.
- Embrace unions and other stakeholders and work with them to further stabilise the department and ensure that the environment in schools is truly supportive of quality education delivery.
- Fill all vacancies for teaching and non-teaching and office-based personnel.
- Attend, as a matter of urgency, to non/part payment of financial allocations to schools as it puts principals in a predicament, and they end up having to run schools from their pockets.
- Improve on teacher professional development initiatives.
- Address infrastructure backlogs and continue with infrastructure improvement initiatives.
- Support classroom activity by ensuring that classrooms have teachers and resources necessary to enhance teaching and learning.
Lastly, the MEC joins a department that is rich in policy. We therefore hope he will respect and help enforce policy implementation to ensure consistency, stability and unity whilst avoiding anarchy and disunity in the department.
SADTU commits to support Hon Hlomuka. We request that he understands that ours is a C/C (cooperation and conflict) relationship. He must understand that even when there is robust engagement, it is never personal and must never be personalised. Honourable Hlomuka has our full support.
THE END
ISSUED BY: KZN SADTU Secretariat