NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 453
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 05/11/2010
(INTERNAL QUESTIO PAPER: 33-2010)
Mr O de Beer (COPE-WC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether the Government intends to address the influence that the trade
unions have on education policy in order to achieve the target of
creating 5 million jobs by 2020; if not, why not; if so, how will this
be achieved? CW559E
Response
Teaching posts at schools are created through the norms and standards set
by the Minister of Basic Education through consultation with teacher trade
unions and not through negotiations. Therefore trade unions have limited
influence over the creation of teaching posts at schools.
The creation of posts at the Provincial Departments of Education offices
and district offices are determined by the MECs for Education. The staff
establishment of these structures are not consulted or negotiated with
trade unions and therefore they have no influence in this regard.