Response to Barbara Creesy`s Budget speech
4 August 2009
SADTU welcomes the Gauteng Education Budget speech by Honourable MEC Barbara Creecy. We are aware of the fact that a lot still needs to be done before we can meet our Millennium Development Goals and other targets set towards the provision of quality education for all.
As SADTU we acknowledge the fact that teachers have a huge role to play in achieving the goal of providing quality education for all.
However, the department has a duty to ensure that basic infrastructure, learning materials, development and support are provided.
We welcome the following:
- The focus on ECD and Grade R. Allocation to ECD has been increased by 44% to R309 million. We welcome the fact that the Department is registering ECD practitioners. These practitioners need to be better served by the department. As SADTU, we want their conditions of service to be the same as that of teachers.
- 73% of the budget R13,8 billion allocated for personnel development. This will be used to, among others, develop a database for unemployed teachers who can be drawn in to fill vacancies; give intensive training and retraining to teachers with the initial focus being on the foundation phase; improve school management to ensure that teachers are at school, in class, on time and teaching, etc.
- Delivering 14 new schools in this financial year. This will help to further ensure the reduction of the pupil/teacher ratio. What is long overdue however the issue of manageable class sizes to give individual attention to learners in the previously disadvantaged schools.
Other points of note include:
- The increase in the number of no-fee schools.
- The extension of the nutrition programme to high schools on Quintile 1.
- Ensuring safety in schools and working with local communities.
ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat
Nomusa Cembi, Media Officer @ 0827195157