Union blamed for matric marker snub
A row has broken out over the lucrative jobs of marking matric exam papers that began this week.
Subject advisers in KwaZulu-Natal claim their applications to be markers were brushed aside by the provincial education department.
The exclusion has sparked threats from some that they will not moderate pupils’ tasks and assignments next year.
Markers will mark for 10 hours a day for between 10 and 15 days depending on the total number of answer scripts in a paper. They can earn up to R36 650 before tax.
Subject advisers are senior education specialists who provide professional leadership to teachers by helping them identify and meet the needs of pupils. They also help support initiatives to improve numeracy and literacy in the classroom. These officials are former teachers who were promoted to the post of senior education specialist.
The subject advisers have accused the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union in KwaZulu-Natal of taking over the selection of markers in the province.
A senior subject adviser said that during a meeting to select markers, members of the selection panel had been told to remove all application forms from subject advisers.
“In other provinces, subject advisers are recognised at marking centres. They are given positions as chief markers, deputy chief markers and senior markers because they are the leaders in the subject.
“We have experience as markers and we are the ones who capacitate teachers to mark. But we were told that our forms were just put aside. The people behind this is our union.”
Another subject adviser said most of his colleagues were threatening not to moderate pupils’ school assignments and tasks next year because they had not been appointed as markers.
“You will find Grade 10 teachers being selected as markers and this compromises the quality of marking. KwaZulu-Natal is a different country with its own rules.”
Sadtu provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza said Grade 10 teachers could be selected as markers if there was a shortage of suitable markers from Grade 11 and 12.
“Nowhere in the [regulations] is there mention of the subject adviser. The participation of Sadtu, like any union, in the selection of markers is to observe that the process is free and transparent and in line with policy.”
Caluza denied that Sadtu was in charge of selecting markers in the province.
Provincial education department spokesman Muzi Mahlambi refused to say how many subject advisers had been appointed.
“Whether they are complaining or not, marking is going to go smoothly without them being appointed. We are satisfied in the manner in which the selection of markers went. It was a fair selection.”
He denied that the department was not in control of the selection process. “There’s nothing like that; we are not captured by Sadtu.”
Marking is expected to finish on
December 15. Matric results will be released on January 4.
All markers in North West, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo as well as more than 70% of those in Free State will stay in school hostels.
This is because of the long distance between the markers’ homes and the marking venues.
In the Western Cape, just over 20% of markers will stay in hostels.