The New Age
*Chaos looms for education**Zodidi Mhlana, Warren Mabona and Sapa, The New Age, Johannesburg, 10 April 2013*
Schooling appears to be headed for major disruptions. This follows the threat of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) to escalate its go-slow, which will start on Wednesday, and the education authorities refusal to meet its demands.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said she had yet to be briefed on the effects of the go-slow in schools, but said: "I am seriously bothered."
Sadtu is demanding the removal of director-general of education Bobby Soobrayan and of Motshekga.
The union blames Soobrayan and Motshekga of failing to honour a 2011 agreement to increase the salaries of matric markers.
Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said the union would escalate their go-slow action if there was no positive response from the department.
"Next week we will review what has happened this week. On the 24th of April we will have a march in Pretoria and another in Cape Town," Cembi said.
The minister has described Sadtu's action as "regrettable and unfortunate"."The minister is disappointed at utterances made by Sadtu that she must resign. She finds the stance unfortunate, the posture and tone, regrettable," Basic Education department spokesperson Panyaza Lesufi said yesterday.
He said some of the tariffs in the 2011 collective agreement on remuneration of markers were in conflict with what was gazetted.
"The error was picked up and communicated to the unions, and it was agreed that the agreement could not be implemented.
"It (error) would have cost the provinces an additional R700m, which was not in their budgets.
"Sadtu rejected various offers made by the department to find a solution and that left the department with no option but to withdraw from the dispute it had lodged to clarify the validity of the agreement," Lesufi said.
The matter is now before the high court in Pretoria and will be heard in August.
The National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) has called for an urgent solution.
"The two parties should urgently find each other and resolve the matter before it escalates and have a negative effect on teaching and learning," NASGB general secretary Matakanye Matakanye said.
DA shadow minister of basic education Annette Lovemore said that the Employment of Educators Act obliged teachers to work outside of the seven hours of teaching.
Cope's spokesperson on education, Willie Madisha, said with the go-slow the union was victimising school children.
"Cope sees the work to rule protest as a means of ducking out of the responsibilities that teachers have in respect of their charges. Time lost is never regained and a diminished education is a lasting impediment for the children subjected to it," Madisha said.
ANC spokesperson Keith Khoza said the organisation did not have a comment on matters relating to bargaining.
"The ANC does not interfere with bargaining issues even if there are disputes. We normally comment when they become violent," Khoza said.
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> *From: http://www.thenewage.co.za/91043-1007-53-Chaos_looms_for_education* -- _*Communist University*_*:*_CU Downloads_: _*sites.google.com/site/cu2012courses/* <https://sites.google.com/site/cu2012courses/>_
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