Even when following the strongest calling, an individual has finite stamina with which to fight.
Teachers within District 12 of the Johannesburg West office of the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) have made troubling allegations about key administrative functions within the District. Several teachers, who are afraid to be named for fear of victimisation, have revealed that they have been working without subject advisors or facilitators for much of 2021. The allegations made centre around the senior grades, most concerningly this year’s matric class.
A subject advisor is an integral link between the teacher and the District office, ensuring that teachers are following the curriculum and that teaching plans are being adhered to. The problems stem from what one teacher believes was a mass resignation of subject advisors who have not been replaced since. This same teacher states that despite numerous attempts to receive assistance, he has not met with a subject advisor for the whole of 2021.
Other than being a critical link in the educational chain, subject advisors ensure that learners are meeting the standards required by evaluating the work handed in to teachers. While one teacher claimed he has no subject advisors for any of his subjects, another from a different school said she had subject advisors but only for a few subjects. “They are currently dishing out the facilitator duties in some subjects to regular educators without looking at the educators’ workloads,” she revealed.
This thinning of resources has left some flying blind while others are scrambling to fill the holes in their work. One teacher claims that colleagues from neighbouring schools meet in groups to evaluate each other’s work, with those unfortunate enough not to have access to this group not being able to have work evaluated. Teachers need to meet evaluation deadlines and unchecked work is given the dreaded term ‘not resulted’.
“It has definitely affected our work as we had to go through assessment changes according to national guidelines changing without any guidance,” admitted one teacher. “They expect miracles from us by overloading us with work and giving us little to no support,” she added. Teachers have sought answers from the District but cite a hostile atmosphere at the Goldman Street administrative office.
A visit to the District was met with grumbles and buck-passing while questions have been directed to the GDE, yet no answers have been forthcoming since they were sent on August 31. Principals from across Roodepoort were also asked to comment yet those who chose to respond did so only to redirect queries to the GDE. One, however, did reply that they were satisfied with the support received by the District.
In the fight for quality basic education, giving those on the frontline adequate tools should be seen as a prerequisite. “We feel humiliated that our work is not properly prepared and end up facing disciplinary proceedings,” claimed one of those speaking out.
Without properly equipped teachers guiding learners with purpose, a matric certificate is nothing but a stamp of attendance.
