Teacher unions bemoan state of working conditions in schools
Unions are calling for performance bonuses for teachers deemed ‘good’
BADLY behaved pupils and a lack of support from education officials and parents are driving teachers to early retirement and resignation, say teachers’ unions.
The “discriminatory” way in which salaries are structured and the “administrative overload” only exacerbated matters.
In a written submission to the presidential remuneration review commission, a cluster of unions – including the National Teachers’ Union, the SA Onderwysersunie and the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA – have emphasised that “deteriorating” working conditions is one of the reasons an increasing number of teachers are prematurely leaving the profession.
Some of the concerns include a lack of support from education department officials and teachers’ safety in the classroom. Last week the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) expressed concern at the level of violence in schools and said teachers were often victims.
The commission, headed by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, has been tasked by President Zuma to look into remuneration and the conditions of service for teachers and other public servants.
It has extended the deadline for written submissions to the end of the month. The teacher pay system does not distinguish between poorly performing teachers and those who excel, nor provide incentives accordingly, making it unlikely that “high-ability, high-performing” individuals would be drawn to a teaching career, research by an education economist has argued. In a study released last year, research author Paula Armstrong, from the University of Stellenbosch, concluded that the more educated a teacher was, the less rosy a career in the classroom seemed.
Compared with less qualified and inexperienced workers, a teacher earned an “attractive” salary – but compared with other professionals their wage prospects were dire.
The presidential commission is set to investigate the recruitment, promotion and retention of teachers, as well as performance management, job evaluation and the sustain- ability of the teacher wage bill.
The submission of the cluster of unions, known as the combined trade union of autonomous unions (CTUATU), excludes Sadtu and represents about 130 000 teachers.
The unions say in their submission that they want an end to the “discriminating practice” in the current salary structure of teachers, which sees only a one percent difference between notches per salary level. For the rest of the public service, this is 1.5%.
The unions also make an argument for introducing performance-related pay and performance bonuses.
They suggest that a 1.5 percent increase be paid annually to teachers who perform to a “satisfactory level”, three percent every three years to teachers for “good” performance, and six percent for “excellent” teachers, also every three years.
On top of that, the unions are calling for performance bonuses for those teachers deemed “good” or “excellent”.
The CTU-ATU would also like to see it made compulsory for teachers to have a certain amount of experience to be promoted.
Submissions to the commission should be e-mailed to prrc@govmail.gov.za, or delivered to the 6th Floor of the SITA Building in Perseus Park, at 117 Priory Road, Lynnwood, Pretoria, or www.prrc.gov.za for more information.