Organogram to beef up teacher support

IN A drive to eliminate teacher absenteeism due to operational responsibilities, the provincial education department wants to adopt a new organogram.

Yesterday in Mount Ayliff MEC Mandla Makupula presented details of how the new structure – which will see circuit inspectors having support staff at local level – was likely to work.

Acting human resources chief director Nyameko Tshibo said at the moment teachers and school principals spent time travelling between their schools and district offices to report problems related to the curriculum or the policy, or others experienced by pupils or staff.

“In that process, teachers miss a lot of teaching time. The new organogram, which is subject to endorsement by stakeholders, will see circuit offices being launched at local level to support between 25 and 30 schools with a defined jurisdiction,” said Tshibo.

This comes as the plan to merge the existing 23 district offices into 12 takes shape.

Tshibo said the merger was in line with municipal demarcations, which have six districts and two metros.

But because the O R Tambo, Amathole, Chris Hani and Alfred Nzo regions are large, it was agreed these districts would have two education districts each.

Tshibo said each circuit would have a circuit manager or inspectors, who would oversee 25 to 30 schools.

They will have an office with the necessary support staff such as subject advisors, psychologists, physiotherapists and psychiatrists to help pupils and teachers in need.

At the moment the support of schools was the sole responsibility of education district officers (EDOs) based at district offices, a system Tshibo described as a recipe for disaster as district offices were located far from individual schools.

“The organogram is still in the making, but we are saying all the operational needs such as hiring of teachers, and monitoring of leave and curriculum, should be dealt with at local level.

“Head office should be a bit leaner and should deal with strategic issues such as policy development and monitoring the implementation of policies.

“Currently we have what we call virtual circuits, which only have EDOs with no support staff.

“If they need help on a curriculumproblem, the EDO has to go to the district office and ask for support from there.

“Such support staff have to be based in the circuit manager’s office, not district offices,” said Tshibo.

The department is targeting a rollout of the first phase in June, “once all stakeholders have had their say”.

Teachers’ unions have expressed their scepticism at the possible changes in the department’s organogram.

But Tshibo said: “We don’t foresee anyone losing his or her job.

“Instead, those who will have to relocate to elsewhere will be protected through the department’s resettlement policy.” —