Grade R teachers have not been paid since January

GRADE R practitioners at Westerkim Primary School in Upington have not received their salaries since January this year.

The teachers stated that they signed two-year contracts for 2022 to 2024, although it appeared as if the contracts were not yet approved when they started working at the school at the beginning of the year.

“We agreed to continue teaching until our contracts were finalised,” they said.

“We approached the director of the ZF Mgcawu District, the school governing body and the principal, in an effort to secure payment of our salaries, but no answers have been forthcoming.

COMPENSATION

“Nine months later, we are sitting in the same boat.

“Another Grade R practitioner was appointed at the school on July 19, also without a formal appointment letter.

“We have been educating pupils without any compensation. Our households are under financial strain, we make use of our own vehicles to attend to our duties at the school and petrol is expensive. Our debtors are knocking on our doors and the banks are phoning us to ask us where our money is.

“As teachers, we have passion for our jobs and are currently paying for our studies to further our tertiary education, that is placing us under further financial distress.”

Northern Cape Department of Education spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said that the school governing body (SGB) at Westerkim Primary School had failed to follow the correct recruitment and selection procedures for the appointment of Grade R practitioners.

“Therefore, according to our records, no Grade R practitioners have been appointed at the school,” said Van der Merwe.

“The department is awaiting the SGB to follow the correct procedures as stipulated in line with Circular 36 of 2021.”