The rights of teachers to strike must be balanced with the rights of learners to learn

What most determines a child’s success in the classroom is not their background, their financial circumstances, the curriculum or the resources of the school (although these things all play a role).

The crucial variable is the quality of the teaching.

You do not need to be an education policy expert to know this.   Many of us in this room probably attended poor schools.  I am one of them.

I grew up in the 1950s in what was then a rural part of Gauteng, and my primary school served the community around the Leeuwkop prison. There were no flush toilets, and I remember how the corrugated iron classrooms were slowly replaced by brick structures.  There were children at that school who were so poor that they arrived barefoot.  That is why shoes were not compulsory in my school, because we did not want to distinguish between people whose families could afford shoes and those who could not. We had two or three grades to each class and two languages in each class.

When I went to high school, my parents sent me to a well known school in Johannesburg. When I got there, it was quite clear that my primary education had been as good as the best schools in Johannesburg. This was because my primary school teachers ensured that we could read, write and calculate at the standards required, despite the relative deprivation in terms of physical resources, and the relative poverty of the community.  When I think back, I believe they were so dedicated because they knew it was their responsibility to educate the community out of poverty.

There are many equally dedicated teachers in South Africa today. Many of them are members of the SAOU. I have seen the difference they make in children’s lives.  Our good teachers in our good schools are doing more than any other professionals to build firm foundations for the new South Africa.

But I have also seen the negative impact of poor teaching and weak school management. When teachers spend as little time in the classroom as possible, don’t get involved in extra-mural activities and don’t care if they finish the curriculum or not, the learners suffer.

And there is still far too little accountability throughout our education system for failing to measure up to global education benchmarks.

This is why, in the Western Cape, we are now introducing performance contracts in order to hold principals and deputy principals accountable for learner outcomes. This will form the basis of a differentiated performance management system.  We are determined to move towards a situation where poor performers are managed out of the system, and excellence is rewarded.  In teaching, more than any other profession, one size does not fit all.

But we know that accountability is a two-way street. This is why the Minister, the Head of Department and senior management have performance contracts which are linked to the targets set in our strategic plan.

Our approach includes greater powers to assess teacher performance against provincial and national standards in the classroom, where it counts. That is the crux of the Western Cape Provincial School Education Amendment Bill which we hope will be passed into law by October.

There are other noteworthy aspects to the bill which, taken together, will help us provide a globally competitive education for more learners in the Western Cape. These include:

• Requiring a minimum core teaching hours every day and every week
• The banning of political activities on school premises during school hours
• Giving more search and seizure powers to schools to stop illegal substances and weapons being brought into schools

Of course, this bill – particularly the provision to assess teacher performance in the classroom – will be controversial.  But we believe it is essential. Furthermore, the good principals and good schools in the province realise that if we have to get to the heart of the problems in our weakest schools, we must understand what is happening (or not happening) inside the classrooms, that everyone is present, punctual and prepared, and that the syllabus is completed in time.

On this note, I should commend the SAOU for limiting its involvement in the strike to defined period and for condemning the violence and intimidation of some strikers.

Like the SAOU, we support the right to strike, but we also believe that rights should be exercised in a way that limits (as much as possible) undermining the rights of innocent parties.  The actions of some union members will undoubtedly mean that many learners will fail their matric, or fail to meet the entrance requirements of tertiary institutions.  This is a tragedy that will have life-long consequences for them and their families.

When it comes to exercising our rights, they are always balanced by our responsibilities and the rights of others. I believe SAOU and some other unions, have found the proper balance in the current industrial action.

It was this balance that the DA’s predecessor – the Democratic Party (DP) – attempted to legislate for back in 1993 in the amendments it proposed to the then Education Labour Relations Act (since superseded by the Labour Relations Act).

In his speech to Parliament, the DP’s Roger Burrows neatly set out the dilemma that teachers face when it comes to industrial action.

I quote:

“The particular position of teachers, their status and position in society, particularly with regard to their conditions of employment, is a very complex one. It is one in which society itself views teachers occasionally as professionals, sometimes as workers and sometimes as servants. The teachers themselves have a similar problem. Some of them view themselves as professionals and some as workers. This is not peculiar to South Africa, and I must make this absolutely clear. Throughout the world the vexed question of teachers and their role of status regarding their conditions of service is one that has raised tensions significantly.”

In his speech, Burrows noted that different countries have approached the rights of teachers to strike differently. Some do not allow teachers to organise at all. In others, staff associations are allowed but not unions. There are also countries which allow only one union.

We reject all these approaches. We believe that teachers should have the right to organize themselves and that this includes the right to strike. And we believe that teachers should have the right to join or form any union they want.

This is why we do not agree with SADTU’s attempt to destroy the other unions. We strongly oppose SADTU’s proposal to amend the constitution of the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) to increase the threshold from 50,000 members to 100,000.  We believe this is a transparent attempt by the union to stop the exodus of its members, who are increasingly disillusioned with the tone, style and management of their organization.

In this regard, it is important to note that, according to Western Cape Education Department statistics – only a third of SADTU members in the Western Cape have actually gone on strike.

It is obvious that many unionised teachers – whether they are SADTU, NAPTOSA or SAOU – take their responsibilities as seriously as their rights.

In his speech to Parliament back in 1993, Roger Burrows made the point that even in countries where the teacher’s right to strike is recognised, there are often limitations on this right. Noting the illegal conduct of some union members in a strike at that time, he argued that South Africa needed to include some limitations on the right of teachers to strike. As he said:

“We need to make quite sure that if we in this Parliament are going to give teachers the right to strike legally, we must hedge it around with sufficient conditions to ensure that parents, more than anybody else, are at least consulted, at least brought into the entire process of striking. I say this because, with all due respect, it is not simply a situation between the State as employer, and the teacher as employee. It involves children, not factory goods or commercial services.”

I am pleased to announce here today that the DA’s team in the national Parliament has begun drafting a Private Members Bill to amend the Labour Relations Act to codify the conduct of teachers who go on strike. The limitations that we will propose are – in fact – already largely followed by the responsible unions. We believe that, given the universal condemnation of the behaviour of some strikers, the time is now ripe to enforce the ethos of responsibility and accountability in this sphere as well.

Our Private Members Bill will propose a number of measures, including:

• That the right of teachers to strike is subject to the condition that a core service is rendered. It will stipulate the minimum number of ‘skeleton’ hours that teachers must complete during a strike.
• That strikes can only legally take place after consultation and agreement between government, unions and school governing bodies (in other words parents) concerning the conduct of the strike and the treatment of the pupils during the strike period.
• The imposition of severe penalties on unions (in addition to legal action taken against individuals) if their members engage in violence, looting, vandalism and intimidation.

We believe that these three measures will go a long way to restoring some balance between the rights of teachers to strike and the rights of learners to learn.

I look forward to engaging with you further on this proposal, as well as our plan to turn education around in the Western Cape, which is the one province where we can turn our words into actions because the voters made this decision.

This is an awesome responsibility, because we have to set the benchmark, and develop the strategy to demonstrate that excellence is not only possible in our education system, but essential.  Our country’s prospects, and the prospects of all our children, depend on it.

Thank you for the enormous role the SAOU is playing in this process.  I hope that within five years, we will all see the positive difference.

Download the full speech (English version)
Download the full speech (Afrikaans version)

Malcolm Venter

Education and Language Consultant

In the midst of the current public servants’ strike, it is perhaps a good time to pause and reflect on whether teachers should strike – or be allowed to strike. The issue has been raised in political circles, and  by President Zuma himself. James Lorrimer,  DA spokesperson on education, issued a statement in February this year indicating that his party was going to put in an application for teaching to be declared an essential service, which would mean that they would not be allowed to strike. A profession is regarded as an essential service if the disruption of the service inconveniences people’s lives or places them in danger. The SAPS and medical sector are currently the services whose workers may not go on strike.

Lorrimer argued that the disruption of classes results in children getting behind in their learning programme and threatens their academic future. ‘Therefore,’ he said, ‘teaching must also be declared an essential service.’ He pointed out that this was the case in certain states in the US.

In saying this, Lorrimer was echoing President Zuma, who had criticised SADTU at their annual congress for their share in breaking down the education system. In October last year he also indicated that he was considering declaring teaching an essential service.

The teacher unions have vigorously opposed the idea, including the independent unions (ie those not affiliated to COSATU); and, indeed, all the unions have currently given their members the green light to strike, albeit for differing periods of time.

There is no doubt that teachers have a legitimate reason to consider industrial action at present. While the state maintains that it does not have the money to up their offer of 7% (which they falsely present as 8.5%, by adding in the normal 1.5% annual progression), teachers and other public servants have queried whether this would not be possible if the government were to cut its costs (as has happened recently in the UK). The money spent on luxury cars; the fact that ministers stay in five-star hotels and that millions were spent on World Cup tickets (not all of which could be said to be used to woo investors, etc); the dodgy tender deals; the unnecessary hoards of ; the huge salaries paid to the hundreds of MPs –  all of this does not look like a cash-strapped government.  And then, to add insult to injury, Minister Baloyi arrogantly (and stupidly) responded to these complaints by asking sarcastically if ministers should be required to drive around in bakkies or on scooters; and pointing out that the old government had done the same (falling into the old trap of thinking that two wrongs make a right).

But the question remains: If teachers have a legitimate grievance over a pay offer, should they strike?  There are actually two questions here: Should they have the right to strike; and is it right to strike?   On the first count, I would say yes. Teaching, though a very essential service, is not one that places people’s lives in danger if the authorities and schools handle the situation circumspectly. It is up to the state to ensure that teachers are appropriately remunerated. This means, firstly, starting negotiations before the budget is finalised – at present, by the time the negotiations begin (later and later every year), there is not much to negotiate about. The cart must be re-put behind the horse. And, of course, this also means that enough should be budgeted for to enable teachers to earn what they should in terms of their qualifications, the importance of their work, and the huge demands made on their time, energy and emotions.

Regarding the second question, my personal opinion is that it is not right for teachers to strike, unless they can do so in such a way as not to disrupt education. One aspect of the definition of a ‘professional’ is that he/she has a commitment to his/her client. If we want to be called professionals, we should not conveniently ignore this aspect. If a school were, for example, to arrange for teachers to strike in turns and to make sure that pupils are supervised and gainfully engaged in learning, then I might accept the idea teachers going on strike. And then only if it is done in a dignified manner – I am appalled by pictures of teachers dancing around like whirling dervishes and engaging in acts of intimidation:  not particularly professional! But I could not, in conscience, myself jeopardise the futures of the young people who are the centre of our jobs.  So, while I defend the right of teachers to strike under controlled conditions, I do not approve of strikes which are to the detriment of schoolchildren.

Each short course runs for 20 hours of on-line contact time facilitated by an expert in the subject area and can be completed within a three month period. At R900 per course, prices are reasonable for the local market. Courses range from the latest in Maths and English teaching methodologies for primary schools to practical applications of ICT, such as interactive whiteboards, in the classroom.  Special needs education techniques, early childhood education approaches and the prevention of bullying in classrooms are further examples of some of the short courses on offer.

FPD specialises in management, clinical and education professional development programmes, having trained over 100,000 professionals to date across 15 countries in Africa. FPD CEO, Dr Gustaaf Wolvaardt, sees the FPD partnership with Hibernia College as a great asset for South African teachers. “Combining FPD’s practical learning approach with Hibernia’s teacher development expertise will offer the South African education sector a compelling professional development opportunity.”

Mr David Wylde, ex-head of St Stithians and currently heading the Principals programme for Penreach believes that Ireland primary school teachers are some of the best in the world and hopes that these short courses will bring some of the UK best practices to our country. When asked what he thought of the FPD/Hibernia course offering, he quips: “Sign me up”.

To find out more information or register for the FPD/Hibernia short courses, visit FPD’s website at www.hiberniacollege.net. For further information, contact Joanne Brink at 012 816 9000.

The new feature, aptly named ‘My Assignments’, allows teachers to obtain, generate and share worksheets, tests, revision papers, exams and questionnaires electronically; and on the other end of the scale, allows students to complete and submit their assignments through the same platform.

This, says Barbara Mallinson, founder of the social networking site that is offered free to schools, for all intents and purposes extends Obami into the realm of eLearning.

“And, as with all the functionality we’ve built for Obami thus far, ‘My Assignments’ is intended to supplement the already rich interactive two-way educational experience currently available through the platform.”

Mallinson says a number of interesting and innovative refinements have been integrated in the ‘My Assignments’ feature and that these make a huge difference to the overall functioning of Obami.

“For example,” she says, “depending on the assignment settings selected by the teacher, learners have the ability to save work that they have begun, or complete and submit their work in one session, making it perfect for homework, but also for tests and exam assessments.

“Further making life easier for teachers, the feature’s assessment functionality can be enabled so that auto-marking of assignments can take place. This not only saves teachers’ time, but also affords them an immediate indication of a learner’s progress through course materials,” she adds.

From a workflow perspective, Mallinson says ‘My Assignments’ slots in neatly, alongside the other major applications within Obami and as such, once a teacher has set an assignment, it is automatically added to the learner’s list of “Due Assignments” which appears on their home page.

“This means that ‘My Assignments’ also functions like a virtual homework diary, allowing parents and learners alike to track homework tasks, and overall performance results too,” she adds.

“As is the case with Obami’s entire offering, learners engage with this tool in an environment that stimulates communication and collaboration, and there’s the option to set tasks that are to be completed individually, or in groups.

“Parents will also appreciate that ‘My Assignments’ now provides them with a quick report of their child’s performance at school, and drilling deeper, on-demand access to marks and comments made by teachers.

“More importantly, it allows for planning of upcoming tests, assignments and examinations, making the work flow more manageable for learners, teachers and parents alike,” Mallinson adds.

“Overall, we’re really proud of what we’ve achieved with Obami so far and feel that this new feature takes us strongly into the realm of eLearning enablement.

“Teachers, learners and their parents can rest assured there are more compelling features in the pipeline, since it’s rewarding to see the education space benefiting from our innovations,” she concludes.

Department of Basic Education – Curriculum Changes 2010 and beyond (click to download)

This partnership will assist EvaluNet in distributing its educational software to more school children than ever before. With the help of MySchool, EvaluNet will also be doing projects to assist children in under-resourced areas to have access to a great learning tool, thus benefitting more communities in need.

GetAhead is educational software that children use at home to help learn and revise their schoolwork.

Visit the MySchool website.
Visit the EvaluNet website.
Visit the GetAhead website.

The ELRC and consortiums involved in the Teacher Laptop Initiative (TLI) have agreed that it is necessary to hold a roll out launch of the TLI so as to increase teachers’ awareness of the TLI. Due to the delays in rolling out the TLI many teachers have lost interest in the project.

It was initially proposed that a roll-out launch would take place provincially, however, for a number reasons, that will not be possible. A national Roll Out Launch  has been arranged for 15 July 2010 and will take place in Pretoria.

Other strategies that are in the pipeline to renew and heighten teachers’ awareness of the TLI and to provide detail on the various computer packages available include:

• Coverage of the ‘roll-out launch’ by e-tv; and other media;
• A special insert in “The Teacher” (Mail and Guardian);
• Adverts in the national press;
• A website dedicated to the TLI: www.teacher-laptop.co.za. It is expected that this website will be operative from 17 July 2010.

The following process applies when a laptop is purchased:

1. The PED identifies and informs teachers who qualify for the TLI;
2. A written notification from the PED is issued to the teacher;
3. The teacher approaches any accredited supplier at an authorised outlet as identified by the supplier. This will be indicated on www.teacher-laptop.co.za and or the consortium can be contacted in this regard;
4. The teacher has the choice of comparing the different packages offered by the different suppliers;
5. The notification letter is presented to the accredited service provider;
6. The legitimacy of the letter and the identity of the teacher is validated on the Central Registry;
7. Once the teacher chooses a package that will suit his / her needs, the teacher and accredited service provide enter into an agreement;
8. The service provider issues the teacher with a certificate of purchase that contains all the information of the package. Everything from serial numbers to connectivity is captured. The certificate is accompanied by a unique number that that will be verified on the Central Registry;
9. The certificate serves as proof of purchase and will be used to activate the teacher’s email account. It will further be forwarded to the PED to enable the allowance and the monthly stop order for the repayments to be activated;
10. The teacher will be required to sign a Code of Conduct.

Health Warning: Teachers must wait for official notification from their PED informing them that they qualify for the TLI before they purchase a laptop.

Training of Educators: The ‘strategic partners’, viz Symantec, Adobe, Cisco Systems, Intel, Microsoft and Dimension Date will be meeting early next week at the ELRC to discuss a programme for the training of teachers in the use of the laptops and software.

From the 18 – 19 July, versatile Physics Professor, Peter Barham of Bristol University UK, renowned for delivering edutaining demonstrations in restaurants, bars, lecture halls and classrooms, will visit the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre.

Winner of the 2003 Kelvin Medal (Institute of Physics), the 1997 Sci-Art prize and the 1999 Institute of Physics Prize for the promotion of Public Awareness of Physics, Prof. Barham will be performing the following Science Demonstrations at Sci-Bono:

• Sunday, 18 July, 14:30 – 15:30 pm, GET SCIENCE LICKED – The physics of ice-cream
  A family science show demonstrating several different ways to make ice-cream.  Audience members will get to taste the home-made ice-cream while learning about the formation of ice-crystals and the laws of thermodynamics. The show is suitable for all ages.
• Monday 19 July, 11:30 am and 14:30 pm, A PASSION FOR PENGUINS
  Sharing his love for penguins, Prof. Barham helps school learners to understand the role of research in conservation and the need to develop non-invasive techniques for studying the endangered African penguin. This lecture demonstration is aimed at Grade 4 – 9 school learners.
• Monday 19 July, 19:00 – 20:30 pm, THE SCIENCE OF TASTE AND FLAVOUR
  What makes some foods taste really good together while other pairings are just plain disgusting? In an interactive lecture, Prof. Barham demonstrates how science can help us in the kitchen. Suitable for ages 15 and up.

To make booking or to find out more email speaktoascientist@sci-bono.co.za or call Refilwe Pico at 011 639 8448.

These papers were created with a tool called XT. If you like them, see how they were made, click here.

To download these tests click on the links below.

Life Orientation:

XT – LIFE ORIENTATION Grade 1 – Caring for my world

XT – LIFE ORIENTATION Grade 1 – Caring for my world Memo

XT – LIFE ORIENTATION Grade 1 – Manners

XT – LIFE ORIENTATION Grade 1 – Manners Memo

XT – LIFE ORIENTATION Grade 1 – My body

XT – LIFE ORIENTATION Grade 1 – My body Memo

XT – LIFE ORIENTATION Grade 1 – Traffic signs and rules

XT – LIFE ORIENTATION Grade 1 – Traffic signs and rules Memo

Lewensoriëntering:

XT – LEWENSORIENTERING Graad 1 – Ek sorg vir my wêreld

XT – LEWENSORIENTERING Graad 1 – Ek sorg vir my wêreld Memo

XT – LEWENSORIENTERING Graad 1 – Maniere

XT – LEWENSORIENTERING Graad 1 – Maniere Memo

XT – LEWENSORIENTERING Graad 1 – My Liggaam

XT – LEWENSORIENTERING Graad 1 – My Liggaam Memo

XT – LEWENSORIENTERING Graad 1 – Padveiligheid

XT – LEWENSORIENTERING Graad 1 – Padveiligheid Memo

These papers were created with a tool called XT. If you like them, see how they were made, click here.

To download these tests click on the links below.

Numeracy:

XT – NUMERACY Grade 1 – Counting

XT – NUMERACY Grade 1 – Counting Memo

XT – NUMERACY Grade 1 – Halving and Doubling

XT – NUMERACY Grade 1 – Halving and Doubling Memo

XT – NUMERACY Grade 1 – Identify and name basic shapes

XT – NUMERACY Grade 1 – Identify and name basic shapes Memo

XT – NUMERACY Grade 1 – Reading graphs

XT – NUMERACY Grade 1 – Reading graphs Memo

Syfervaardigheid:

XT – SYFERVAARDIGHEID Graad 1 – Tel

XT – SYFERVAARDIGHEID Graad 1 – Tel Memo

XT – SYFERVAARDIGHEID Graad 1 – Halveer + Verdubbel

XT – SYFERVAARDIGHEID Graad 1 – Halveer + Verdubbel Memo

XT – SYFERVAAARDIGHEID Graad 1 – Identifiseer basiese vorms

XT – SYFERVAARDIGHEID Graad 1 – Identifiseer basiese vorms Memo

XT – SYFERVAARDIGHEID Graad 1 – Lees grafieke

XT – SYFERVAARDIGHEID Graad 1 – Lees grafieke Memo