Wednesday, January 23, 2019

SADTU Free State Concerned About Non-delivery of Stationery and Water Cuts
21 January 2019

SADTU on the 7th January 2019 raised the matter with the Department of Education after being alerted by schools. In response, the Department of Education indicated that one service provider had not fulfilled the mandate of delivering, despite being paid. A commitment was however made that delivery would be made by Friday, 18 January 2019, which never happened.

The Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC), which both the unions and Department subscribe to, is very clear in terms of the role each stakeholder has to play towards quality public education. The Department of Education has the obligation to provide resources to schools so that teachers are able to fulfil their mandate of teaching learners.

With one week without stationery learners are unable to do the school work whilst teachers are stranded and expected to improvise on writing material. Principals in some schools have been targeted for not caring about learners by the parents who should be playing their supportive role to schools. Is so doing, principals become soft targets for non-performance of Department.

We call upon the Department of Education to take legal action against the service provider and make means to avail stationery to schools as a matter urgency. We further urge the Department to speed up the process of according all schools, the Section 21 status as resolved in the Primary Education Lekgotla in 2018.

We further note with concern that schools in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality have been operating without water since the reopening of schools, thereby forcing schools to release learners earlier than the normal tuition time. In terms of the Constitution of RSA, water is a basic right which should be enjoyed by all citizens, including learners. The millions of rands allegedly owed by schools to municipalities is a matter which requires serious engagements between Department of Education and municipalities and find a better model of billing schools.

Issued by:
Provincial Secretary: Mokholoane Moloi: 0768112777

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