SADTU is not yet convinced about the department capacity to deliver learner teacher support material (stationery & textbooks) for 2013. The announcement of plans and actions by Minister on this matter is seen as a Public relations exercise. All what she said, was also said in 2012 and books were still not delivered.

The department has failed to convene a stakeholders meeting to inform them about the plans and actions taken to deliver textbooks. All stakeholders are still in the dark about what the minister said except to be told over media that books are ordered. This is exactly what happened in 2012, we were all told continuous stories about books being ordered until even after June when books were still not delivered. The reason for not delivering textbooks was corruption from officials in the Department of Basic Education who wanted companies connected to their families to procure and deliver textbooks. The union call on parent communities and the entire society to be vigilant this time around on the matter and ensure that education of our learners is not compromised.

Whilst, the department failed to deliver textbooks for grade 10 learners in the province, teachers continued to teach under these difficult conditions and were not ready to be hooked into adventurous and fanatic exercises of abandoning children of the working class and the poor. Not on many occasions are teachers appreciated for their good efforts despite bad conditions meted against them by the department. It is on this basis that the Union want to appreciate the efforts and resoluteness and commitment of teachers in general and SADTU members in particular who defeated popular and provoked temptations to abandon teaching and take to the streets their frustrations but opted to use alternative measures to handle a well orchestrated effort to collapse education of our children by corrupt officials of the department.

The other most painful and disturbing tendency from the department is their continual failure to deliver even on issues of compliance; educators who taught on Grade 10 Catch-up Programme remain unpaid since September 2012. The department is only coming up with unreasonable excuses for non-payment. It is so disappointing to experience this after all forms of persuasions to teachers to engage in this activity.  We therefore give the department up to 15 November 2012 to have paid teachers the required amount; least the Union will consider other options to pressurise the department despite the crucial period of writing examinations.

SADTU in its recent Provincial General Council resolved to campaign for increment on the provision of norms and standard monies to schools.

The money for norms per learner was reduced from ± R440 in 2011 to ± R330 in 2012, despite all difficult conditions schools are facing in order to run normal school activities. We have noted the intention of Limpopo Department of Education to use the same norms for 2013.

The union reject this intention and calls on the MEC of Education to ensure that in his incoming budget, the money is improved from ±R330 per learner to a minimum of ±R440 and upward. SADTU has resolved to campaign on this matter and we are calling on the parent community and the entire society to join us in this campaign. This is the matter that may cause difficulties for schools to kick-start off on a resounding basis in 2013 if not urgently resolved. The department has robbed schools about 25% monies for norms and standard for the last batch of deposits for the year 2011/2012.

The 2012 academic year has been the most shameful and unfortunate period in Limpopo Province as far as education management is concerned. Attitudes and approaches by various administrators introduced to administer section 100 1(b) never improved the situation. All Administrators were concerned about was cutting costs including core services of the department such as enrichment classes and provision of funds for norms and standard. Instead, all their efforts were public relations exercises to impress on the society and less to do with their central role of intervention in administration and management of education.

Provincial managers have not assisted the situation and did not provide any leadership when it was mostly needed but instead they opted to save their skins by standing aloof when things were happening to the disadvantage of the education of children of the working class and the poor. They opted to wait whilst things were happening in their own terrain to an extent that books were not delivered to schools. Teachers have not been appointed in promotional posts, ad-hoc posts have been terminated, AET educators’ annual tariffs have not been paid, ECD educators have not been absorbed; there have been no winter enrichment classes, some teachers for the Grade 10 catch-up programme were are paid whilst others were paid late.

All the above mentioned scenarios paint an observable picture about education management and administration in Limpopo.

Issued by the Secretariat

Matome Raphasha
Limpopo Provincial Secretary
082 804 0800

Tjebane Sowell
Limpopo Provincial Deputy Secretary
082 808 3161