Commonwealth Teachers Group (CTG) First Edition, March 2025
Amid the political discord over the BELA Act, there are growing concerns about the financial burden it may place on the government.
New policy like compulsory Grade R schooling is a noble initiative as it is likely better to prepare young children for entry into formal school.
·Having said this, this initiative needs to be backed up by appropriately qualified teachers, and classrooms and teaching resources must be available.
That’s why SADTU is embarking on Go Public! Fund Education Campaign as an urgent call for governments to invest in public education, a fundamental human right and public good, and to invest more in teachers, the single most important factor in achieving quality education.
·This means guaranteeing labour rights and ensuring good working conditions, as well as manageable workloads and competitive salaries for teachers and education workers.
·It also means valuing teachers, respecting teachers, ensuring they are central to decision-making, and trusting their pedagogical expertise.
The introduction of compulsory Grade R will also have a material impact on staffing and infrastructure provision and we therefore call on government to invest more funding on public education for reskilling and training of Grade R teachers and to build more classes.
This will demonstrate the government accountability to provide quality education for all, human dignity and social justice.
We fully support the implementation of the BELA Act in that it will bring about the changes to integrate, deracialise and democratise schools.
· It’s not doubtful with any new legislation like BELA Act in a country with a diverse population like South Africa and given the unevenness of the country’s education landscape, contestation from those who felt that their powers were being eroded was expected.
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