Cape Town - Six. That’s the number of additional teaching posts the Western Cape Education Department has made available for the 2016 academic year, despite predicting that 20 000 pupils will migrate to the province next year.
The department has now come under fire from the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union over the decision, with its provincial secretary, Jonavon Rustin, saying the department needed to explain how it would deal with the projected increase of pupils with only six additional posts.
Rustin expressed concern that class sizes would also be affected, adding that it was the poorer schools who would suffer if their pupil numbers increased as their governing bodies, unlike those at more affluent schools, wouldn’t be able to pay for extra teachers.
Last year the number of teaching posts in the province were increased by 676.
But Jessica Shelver, the spokeswoman for Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, hit back saying that while the MEC and department were also “deeply concerned”, the department found itself in the dilemma because of wage increases negotiated at national level by the unions.
Schäfer met with teacher unions and governing body organisations to consult on the basket of posts for next year.
Shelver said the country found itself in a difficult financial position, and the Western Cape was no exception.
“The core reason for our financial difficulties is the recent nationally negotiated wage increases – otherwise known as the improvement of conditions of service for public servants, which are well above the rate of inflation.”
The increases were: a general increase of 7 percent on employees’ salaries, a 28.5 percent increase on medical aid benefits for employees and a housing allowance increase – adjusted from R900 to R1 200 per month.
“The effects of these increases on our department’s budget over the medium-term expenditure framework period will be approximately R1.3 billion.
“This pressure is likely to increase.
“The shortfall that needs to be funded, over and above the provisions we had budgeted for, is approximately R450 million for the 2016/17 financial year.”
She said the department had to look long and hard at its budget to determine how it could fund the shortfall created by the wage agreements.
“We were going to have to cut posts but had to prune where we could. It is nothing short of a miracle that we managed to increase posts.”
A conscious decision was taken not to cut funding in certain areas, including school transport and funding for additional no-fee schools and in other areas that would affect mainly poorer pupils.
“The WCED is currently considering how to distribute the basket of posts so that we see minimal disruption to schools.
“This includes looking at excess posts in schools as well as minimising the number of subjects offered at high schools where there is a small demand.”
Shelver said 74 percent of the department’s budget was spent on compensation for employees.
“It costs the department approximately R330 000 per annum for an entry level post level one educator that has no prior experience.
“Therefore, it costs the WCED approximately R1m for three post level one educators each year.”
Rustin said the department could cut on costs by discontinuing the provincial systemic tests in numeracy and literacy, which pupils wrote on an annual basis. Rustin said these skills were already assessed in Annual National Assessments.
Shelver said the results of the provincial tests provided extremely useful information which could be used by officials and principals in planning their improvement strategies.
Dr Malcolm Venter, the executive officer of the Governing Body Foundation in the Western Cape, said that while nobody was satisfied with only six posts, it was the best outcome that could be achieved under the circumstances.
Cape Argus