Teachers’ union concerned over additional teachers not being recruited

NATU president Allen Thompson said the union expected that additional teachers would be recruited in order to assist in teaching split classrooms or substituting for teachers with comorbidities, who were at a higher risk of complications if they contract Covid-19 and might be required to self-isolate.

Thompson emphasised the need for more teachers as class sizes will be reduced, as more grades were being phased in, while teachers with comorbidities remain at home.

“Here we have very critical issues of overcrowded classes, critical issues of the department failing to employ additional teachers after we’ve agreed on the maximum class of 20 learners.

“We have agreed that those teachers with comorbidities must remain at home and we will have to find substitutes for such people, now the department is deciding unilaterally to phase in other grades there is no mechanism again that has been put in place. We only had two grades, people were moving around like headless chickens not knowing what is supposed to happen.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) called on Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to provide clear directives on plans to fill the gap that might be left by teachers with comorbidities.

The party said it was concerned that teachers would not be paid overtime for the increased workload resulting from split classrooms and absent colleagues ahead of the learners return.

Motshekga announced on Sunday that only Grades 6 and 11 will return to the classroom while institutions that were ready for the return of Grade Rs were allowed to reopen as well.

She said, however, that all Grade R learners will be back at school by the end of July.

The minister further said 968 of the country’s 26 000 schools across the country were forced to close and re-open because of Covid-19 since classes resumed for Grades 7 and 12 on 8 June, while three learners, some of whom were not at school, died in the process.

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