Unions need to transform

THE Bill of Rights, as part of the South African constitution, is not an optional extra for those who care to read it. It is the setting in which we find the fundamental rights for all citizens of South Africa.

Section 28(2) states: “The best interests of the child are paramount in all matters concerning the child.”

This is not a throw away clause but the fundamental means of ensuring that all those aged 17 years and younger, enjoy protection and that their best interests are protected.

The clause has to be interpreted and it does not, in any way, imply that children can do as they please. What is should do is to protect children against abuse against those who are responsible for care of children but fail to carry out their legal responsibilities.

Everyone within the teaching profession is entrusted with an immense responsibility for those in their care. The word “paramount” as used in Section 28(2) means such “best interests” are supreme or of the first order.

Allowing children to be ill-disciplined is not in the child’s best interests and the maintenance of good, fair discipline is both appropriate and required.

Equally, the failure of a teacher to provide the best quality of teaching and education is not in the best interests of any child.

Each teacher union represents members, equally both the union and its members must be a credit to the teaching profession. Unions must ensure their members are totally professional in their dealings with pupils, ensuring their constitutional obligations to all children are upheld.

Despite the Bill of Rights being binding on all citizens, it is clear that within the school education context, there are too many occasions where the best interests of the child are ignored.

One example will suffice. Some years ago a Grade 8 girl was head-butted by a another pupil in the classroom in Mdantsane. There was no teacher present. The girl died the following day. To the best of my knowledge that death was never investigated.

Where was the teacher? Apparently at a meeting with other teachers who were also absent from their classrooms.

There are far too many such “meetings” or “activities” taking place during teaching time when teachers are absent from their classrooms.

There is no possible way that such teacher absence can be in the best interests of the child. Lost teaching time is not recoverable. The child is the loser.

Worse still, schools sometimes close for staff to attend meetings (union or others). Not only do children lose teaching time, but are not at school, and likely without parents being informed.

Every child deserves the highest quality of teaching and to be in schools led by the most competent and qualified teachers. Surely unions should be equally determined to ensure that only the very best teachers get promotions earned by diligence and competence. Sadly there appears, in certain quarters, to be a pushing for the most prominent union leaders to be promoted rather than the most competent teachers.

This cannot be allowed at the expense of the best qualified, most suitably experienced person.

Strikes have long been a serious issue. Going on strike just before the matric exams in 2010 was something that could never be described as being in the best interests of matrics. Equally, teachers’ late arrival for classes, or non-arrival, absence on pay days or the last day of the month, inadequate or non-preparation for classes, or early closure of schools… these are all totally counter to “the best interests of the child”.

If unions want to play a truly significant role in improving this country and building a better future for everyone, they need to stay focused on developing their members, building a strong sense of commitment to teaching excellence and the highest level of professionalism.

Further, they need to play a role in ensuring the most competent are promoted. Teacher unions need to move away from being “labour unions” to being “professional associations/unions”.

It will be a great day when teacher unions hold all their members accountable for the highest level of professional performance and conduct. Teaching will rightly be recognised as a profession in the truest sense of the word.

Ken Alston is an Eastern Cape-based educationist