What’s happening behind the scenes in education

One must look back and compare the unemployment rate with the state of our education. The two go hand-in-hand. Coupled with this is the lowering of the pass mark.

Can you imagine that 30% equips you to go out into the world?

What was the reasoning for such a low pass mark?

Is it to just push these pupils through the sausage machine so that they are finally not the responsibility of the state any longer?

At the end of term one, the education department summoned all principals to a meeting until 4pm.

There, they praised themselves and proudly displayed the statistics, statistics about which other countries would be embarrassed.

It was a self-praising session about what they’ve achieved.

When it came to question time, principals were granted the opportunity to ask what was troubling them.

After all, that’s the reason for asking questions.

I don’t know if the public is aware, but schools have to submit pupil (they want us to call them learners) numbers on the 10th school day of the academic year.

From these numbers, they determine the school’s PPN (post provision number), a disastrous exercise.

Every year this department changes the PPN.

Why? To spend less money on where it actually should be spent — the schools.

No matter how your school grows, they increase the ratio of pupils to teachers, thereby providing no extra teachers.

This results in larger pupil numbers per class, OR the SGB (school governing body) has to then employ more teachers.

Shocking! At this principals’ meeting, a high school principal asked what solution they suggest as he has 1,600 pupils and because of the change in their PPN, he has to lose 12 teachers.

How on earth can a low feepaying school afford to pay for 12 teachers from their SGB funds?

There was no answer forthcoming.

All the education official did was write the question down and say they’d get back to this principal. No support, no solution.

I wonder if this poor principal has his answer yet.

Another tactic of theirs is that, when there is a vacancy for a DH (department head, a PL 2) or DP (deputy principal, a PL 3) at schools, the post gets advertised in the gazette.

Staff teaching at the school are encouraged to apply by the principals.

I would say in 95% of the cases, the education department appoints someone who is already teaching in that school’s post level 1 (a teacher) and not any teacher from another school.

Bear in mind that the school’s final applicant choice list must be sent to the department as they select the “new” DH/DP.

However, the education department very rarely replaces that teacher in PL 1, thereby saving that salary!

So who carries the cost of the “new” PL 1 teacher? The SGB via school fees or the “new” DH or DP just continues in their post with their new title.

There is no physical replacement of that DH or DP who has resigned or retired other than a teacher already teaching at the school.

Parents, it is your responsibility to know what is happening in education behind the scenes.

It is my view that the education department does not have the pupils’ interests at heart, nor the teachers, for that matter.

It is time that you question things that affect your child’s education.

It is your right!

It is my view that the education department does not have the pupils’ interests at heart, nor the teachers’