Teaching posts: Solidarity warns about retrenchments

4 October 2024

On the eve of National Teachers’ Day, Solidarity warns about a national crisis should teachers be retrenched in large numbers due to the education departments’ budget shortfall.

In a letter to the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, Solidarity states it expects that everything possible will be done to avert such a situation.

Johan Botha, head of Solidarity’s Teachers’ Network, says he was encouraged to hear that retrenchments are not planned for the immediate future. However, there are still concerns about plans to stop filling teaching posts.

“We are cautioning that even the unwillingness to fill positions will have major repercussions on existing teachers’ daily work. After all, teachers must already cope with a high workload, and this includes administrative work, extra classes and extracurricular activities such as sports coaching.

“In the letter to the minister, we therefore emphasise how the department as an employer will not act in the interests of the employee by increasing this workload only to balance their books,” Botha said.

“Solidarity will therefore do everything in its power to protect the work and wellbeing of its members in teaching. This protection also has the children of South Africa and the future of the country at heart,” Botha explained.

“Statistics already tell a shocking story of how only a few learners in the country eventually progress to matric and pass. This picture will inevitably not improve with fewer teachers on duty.

“That availability, together with the negative impact on the quality of education, harms the country’s ability to produce matriculants who will ultimately make a good contribution to the economy. This is how important our teachers are,” he said.

With this in mind, Solidarity suggests that the government make an effort not to restrict schools that have the ability to function independently of education departments.

“Greater independence, rather than greater government centralisation, is the answer. We are not denying the financial crisis that the Department of Education is facing, but giving communities a greater role in schools can also have financial benefits for the state,” Botha said.

See attached Solidarity’s letter to the Minister of Basic Education, which was also sent to the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana.

Issued by Johan Botha, Spokesperson, Head: Solidarity Teachers’ Network, 4 October 2024