By Johnathan Paoli
The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union in KwaZulu-Natal has called on the education department to do more in addressing the challenges the sector is facing in the province, highlighting financial shortfalls and the government’s failure to meet its obligations to schools.
Sadtu provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluzao said that following discussions between the union and education department, alongside protests at district offices; that the Sadtu’s aim was not only to advocate for teacher’s rights, but also to secure the resources necessary for student’s educational needs.
“In essence, the department of education in the province is failing to deliver on its core mandate. The department does not learn from its past experiences,” she told reporters on Tuesday.
A central concern raised by Caluza was the significant underfunding of no-fee schools, which made up the majority in the province.
She said these quintile 1 to 3 schools are fully reliant on government allocations for essential resources, including textbooks, stationery as well as operational costs.
However, Caluza criticised the department for failing to meet its obligations, with principals reportedly using personal funds to keep schools running, a practice she described as unsustainable.
She highlighted that the province’s funding for learners in these schools lagged far behind national norms, with current allocations being R955 per student, as opposed to the national figure of R1602.
Similar disparities affected quintile 4 and 5 schools, further exacerbating the province’s educational inequities.
Caluzao warned that without urgent financial intervention, the department’s failure to provide sufficient funds would lead to the dysfunction of these institutions.
Despite a protest march in October last year to demand increased support for schools, the same grievances persisted.
She noted that instead of addressing the shortfalls, the department implemented a plan to deliver school funds in eight instalments rather than two; and even then, failed to adhere to this instalment schedule, leaving schools in a precarious position.
The secretary said the department’s financial neglect impacted Grade R education, reporting that basic allocations for classes have not been paid since January.
Caluza underscored the contradiction between the department’s stated commitment to early childhood development and its failure to fund Grade R, which was foundation to children’s learning progress.
She said that despite having significant responsibilities in children’s early learning stages, most Grade R practitioners were underpaid, lacked benefits, and received no pension, medical aid or housing allowance.
With 98.3% of these practitioners being women, she argued that the department’s failure to address the inequities reflects systemic gender discrimination.
She said that since the union had started protesting last week, the department has reportedly paid R107 million to schools, and confirmed that schools have begun receiving these funds.
The department had also paid the ECD/Grade R grant to primary schools, marking the first such payment in over a year.
Caluza reported progress in converting qualifying temporary educators to permanent positions, with only 67 of 548 educators still awaiting conversion.
She said the department has committed to adjusting Grade R stipends by 28 November, with human resources employees already working on processing these payments.
She confirmed the department’s announcement of plans to request assistance from the National Treasury in order to ensure teachers receive their pay progression by 5 December.
Meanwhile, Parliament’s education portfolio committee has reiterated that that the Treasury must guard against budget cuts affecting the Basic Education Department’s programmes.
Chairperson Makhi Feni said this was especially important for public township schools.
“This department is challenged with absorbing the Early Childhood Development children as the function had just been transferred to DBE. Apart from that, we are yet to resolve matters of sanitation, safety and curriculum provision needs. The sector requires funding,” he said on Tuesday.
“The committee believes retrenching or not employing new teachers suffocates the sector. The security of schools from extortionists and the safety of children and principals are also issues that should be resolved. All of these require adequate funding.”
INSIDE EDUCATION
