Sadtu threatens KZN protest over possible 4 000 teacher cuts - IOL

Unemployed teachers in KwaZulu-Natal met with the provincial government in Pietemaritzburg earlier where employment opportunity in other sectors were explained.

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has threatened to take to the streets if KwaZulu-Natal moves ahead with plans to cut thousands of teaching posts.

The union claims about 4 000 teaching positions could be lost in the province, despite schools continuing to struggle to recruit teachers.

Sadtu secretary Nomarashiya Caluza said the union wanted the number of teachers in the province increased or, at the very least, the current complement of about 90 050 maintained.

“The provincial Education MEC (Sipho Hlomuka) should speak to higher authorities to increase the number of teachers or maintain the current number of teachers. We will not accept that teachers can be dismissed due to financial problems. We will not accept that the number of teachers in schools will be reduced by about 4 000,” said Caluza.

She said newly established schools were struggling to recruit teachers, while substitute teachers filling posts for colleagues absent because of illness or maternity leave were allegedly not being paid.

“There has been a problem with the unpaid salaries of those teachers since the beginning of the year. We are determined to take to the streets until the provincial government funds schools properly. We want schools to have teachers,” said Caluza.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education had not responded to questions from the Sunday Tribune by the time of going to print.

Sadtu has previously protested over delays in the payment of school funding under the Norms and Standards programme. The department has also faced longstanding budget pressures linked to provincial funding constraints.

The funding problems have had consequences for schools. Last year, some schools reportedly did not receive textbooks and were limited to receiving stationery.

The issue was also raised with Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, who met with KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, but the union says the interventions have not resolved the underlying funding problems.

Meanwhile, a group of unemployed teachers met with provincial government director-general Nokuthula Khanyile in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday.

The meeting came as dozens of unemployed teachers had been holding a sit-in at the  provincial education offices in Pietermaritzburg seeking employment.

The unemployed teachers were briefed on possible employment opportunities in other sectors but expressed frustration at their continued inability to secure teaching posts.

Previously some of the unemployed teachers claimed that they were forced to pay bribes to secure employment, a claim that the provincial education department has routinely rejected and invited those with evidence to come forward.