“We will never back down in the fight to protect our teachers and for the right of our learners to have a quality education.”
With these words Aden van Willingh, South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) chairperson of the West Coast region, reassured teachers at a meeting on Thursday 12 September at Saxon Sea Primary that the fight would continue. He said it was important to inform all members and parents there of the facts, particularly regarding the cutting of 2 407 posts by the Western Cape Education Department.
Van Willingh confirmed Atlantis schools would lose a combined number of approximately 47 posts.
The biggest concern is a question nobody could answer yet, “What about the learners these teachers are currently teaching? Who will teach them?”
His audience was informed of the process taken by the MEC of Education, David Maynier, to cut these posts, which the union was totally against.
“We rejected the proposal during the consulting process with the department. It was also explained that budget cuts occurred in all nine provinces, but the cutting of posts was currently only part of the Western Cape Education Department’s (WCED) cost-saving plans.
Said Van Willingh: “In our engagements with the employer, the unions put alternative measures of saving on the table, to cut or temporary suspend the BOT (Back on Track) programme as well as the Systemic Tests and all these proposals by the unions were rejected by the department. He also said if the department proceeds with the plan to cut 2 407 teachers post, they will be unemployed by January 2025 and will have a disastrous impact on the education of the poorer schools and communities.”
Currently, at most, class sizes are already too big, but they will be much bigger in 2025, he told the meeting, and teachers at the schools will struggle with heavier workloads and serious discipline problems.
“Many of our current contract teachers are financially responsible for their families. They have debts to be paid, and some have bonds to be paid, so the union rejects this plan to cut the posts with the contempt it deserves.”
Van Willingh said mass meetings would be held, which will involve community organisations as there are no plans currently in place to call a strike.
“We hope that the employer will come to their senses and cancel this diabolical plan and save our teachers jobs and the education of our learners,” he said.
“We thank our mother body Cosatu [in particular, Melvyn Oliphant] and community organisations that attended our meeting and are in full support of our schools and teachers.”
