Leanne Jansen and
Theto Mahlakoana
The showdown over the Annual National Assessments (ANAs) comes to a head today.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga – bolstered by the backing of school governing bodies – has not backed down and public schools across the country have been ordered to begin writing the assessments today.
The SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) yesterday alleged that tender deals for pals were the reason behind the push for the assessments, and dared the Basic Education Department to slap “all 400 000 teachers” in the country with disciplinary action for defying it.
Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said the department had “promised people, therefore they must go and pay those particular people. Tenders are killing our country”.
Five teacher unions announced yesterday they would make good on the threat to boycott the ANAs.
Educationists and political analysts have warned of the precedent it would set if the unions defied the department. The tussle between Motshekga and the unions spoke to the power that unions had over policy and raised questions about the tripartite alliance-affiliated unions.
Yesterday, the Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools (Fedsas) repeated that scrapping the assessments this year would be disastrous, and for the unions to hold the ministry to ransom constituted insubordination (misconduct).