Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Educators are an important human resource, rendering a service second to none on the entire globe. The DA is sympathetic to educators' plight and calls upon government to act swiftly and positively in addressing the educators' genuine demands in order to restore normality in the public service. The DA fully supports the right to demand better salaries, but we cannot accept this demand to be voiced by disrupting exams, tearing up exam papers and intimidating children and nonstriking educators.
If an agreement must be in place before educators go on strike it will give education authorities a greater ability to manage the completely unacceptable disruptions that are affecting several schools around the country. Under no circumstances can bullying and threatening during strike action be permitted; or the losers will be children who are in no way responsible for the current dispute.
The reality is that the school curriculum does not allow any room for time lost for any reason. Already there are far too many schools that do not complete the matric curriculum by the end of the year even without external disruptions. It is about time the government and the unions sat around the table and found a solution that is not only satisfactory but also humanitarian. Thank you.