The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) held its second ordinary meeting in 2024 at Emperors Palace Convention Centre on 26-28 June 2024 to debate and resolve on many issues facing the Union and the country in general.
The meeting took place towards the end of Youth Month, which is observed in honour of the June 16, 1976, Soweto uprising which saw the youth revolting against the oppressive apartheid and notable, the Bantu Education Act. The NEC noted the Youth Month theme, “Actively advancing socioeconomic gains of our democracy” which underscores efforts to promote youth development including through sports which is recognised as a tool to empower youth offering opportunities for growth and investment in their future.
The NEC noted the National General Elections held in the month of May where the ANC received 40,18% of the mandate which has caused it to enter a Government of National Unity that included among others, our class enemies, the Democratic Alliance. The NEC expressed disgust at the DA’s unreasonable demands for ministerial posts and accused it of applying double standards by demanding to appoint Director Generals while speaking ill of cadre deployment.
The DA’s Helen Zille did not waste time in demonstrating her party’s white supremacy DNA. She eloquently articulated her basskap mentality that the DA is in charge and will determine which ministries it wants, and the deputy ministries will have cabinet credentials while the rest of the deputy ministers will remain outside the cabinet. The NEC was reminded that the DA’s manifesto declared war against SADTU by lamenting that SADTU was too strong and must be dealt with. The DA demanding Basic Education ministry has nothing to do with a commitment to the nation to ensure quality and equitable education but to destroy the organization of teachers and their communities, SADTU.
The DA is working with the West to manipulate the Rand and cause our economy to bleed jobs. We have accommodated those who stole our land and wealth for 30 years with the hope that the white South Africans will realise the importance of social cohesion and justice, but the DA is protecting their ill-gotten wealth. They are now treating the ANC as beggars in the GNU negotiations. They must become the opposition and those who put the interests of our country first should continue negotiating to find a solution. We cannot tolerate being dictated to by the markets because we have to fight and return the country to its rightful owners.
The NEC resolved to fight this racist DA with everything our union has. The NEC resolved to be the vanguard of education as a potent force to empower the masses to restore the dignity of our nation, in particular, the African people. The Union will unleash the power of its intellectual capacity through the social pedagogy to change the economic situation which is currently owned and serving the white racial minority.
The Union will mobilize the masses to unmask the stereotypes that the DA employs to justify the entrenchment of colonial education system where the poor and working class must accept inferior status. The deficit narratives and framings of blaming the teachers and students of not working to be like their rich counterparts will be challenged and defeated. The inequalities are as a result of apartheid and colonialism and not because the people are not working hard. This narrative of blaming the victims will be unmasked and be defeated because the masses must liberate themselves. The land and its mineral deposits must be in the hands of the people. Education must fulfill this national obligation of building an equal society and inclusive and sustainable economy.
The NEC commended SADTU members and the Union for the work done for the elections to support the ANC as per the SADTU Congress resolutions and the Federation, COSATU resolution.
The NEC debated and resolved, amongst others, on the following:
Employment of teachers and the Fundza Lushaka bursary holders:
The NEC commended the decision by the Department of Basic Education to no longer prioritise Fundza Lushaka graduates over non-bursary holders for teaching jobs. This decision was an answer to the Union’s long-standing call to have the prioritisation of Funza Lushaka graduates scrapped as it was discriminatory.
On organisational matters:
· State of the Union:
The NEC noted the growth in the membership of the Union. The latest audited membership figures are 275 979, an increase by 7 528 from the 268 451 recorded in 2023.
· SADTU’s 10th National Congress:
The NEC adopted the theme for the Union’s 10th National Congress to be held on 25-28 September – “Mobilising the consciousness and uniting revolutionary professionals in strengthening foundational learning and functional skills, to advance including and sustainable economic growth in pursuance of a socialist society.”
The theme aims to inspire members, as revolutionary professionals, to appreciate with the necessary urgency the role they should play towards creating a learning nation, building an inclusive society and advancing it towards a socialist society; develop a deeper awareness of where we are and where we should be as a society, ensure unity in the union and strengthening foundational learning which provides basic skills that are required to build all higher order cognitive skills. These should be made available to all children including the marginalised.
Further, they should be conscious of their role in imparting functional skills that can instill and enhance critical thinking, problem solving, creative and innovative skills to the child and the ability to adjust and function within varying contexts.
On Labour matters:
· Mandate seeking process for public service wage negotiations: 2025/2026
SADTU believes that all members have a right to be heard from mandate seeking processes up to the conclusion of negotiations. All members have a responsibility to assist the Union in negotiations by participating in mass meetings if they are convened and where the Union uses the survey to get the views of each member, the member has a duty to participate by completing the survey.
The NEC resolved to allow provinces to gather mandates and consolidate immediately when schools open for the third term in July before the negotiations begin with the employer on the 15th of July.
· Investigation of irregular appointment of under-qualified Grade R practitioners as educators
The NEC noted report of the technical task team set by the Department of Basic Education to investigate the irregular appointment of underqualified Grade R practitioners as educators. The Union will work hard to find the lasting solutions to the problems in the sector and ensure that the practitioners are employed in accordance with the standards set out through collective bargaining agreements.
On education matters:
· Establishment of National Assessment Council of South Africa or (NACSA)
The NEC deliberated on the proposal by the National Examination and Assessment Committee (NEAC) for the establishment of the National Assessment Council of South Africa (NACSA) or Examination Board as a structure to report to UMALUSI who is the custodian of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) and Senior Certificate (SC) examinations and to DBE.
The NEC having noted the rationale and explanations, resolved to conduct its own research to inform the union’s position on the proposed NACSA, the implications of establishing an examination board and its relationship with other examination structures.
· Mother Tongue Based Bilingual Education
SADTU attended the language and literacy workshop hosted by the Department of Basic Education to gauge progress on the implementation of the Reviewed Reading Literacy Plan and the Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education Strategy and to plot a way forward in terms of the efforts of improving learning outcomes through the implementation of language and literacy strategy and Mother Tongue Based Bilingual Education (MTBBE) approach which is part of the Language in Education Policy (LiEP) to promote mother tongue based bi/multilingual education which focuses on language use, decoloniality and translanguaging perspectives.
Based on SADTU’s commitment to have mother-tongue developed and used as the language of instruction, the NEC therefore resolved to support the implementation plans of the DBE to roll-out the MTBBE in all other eight provinces in the country. The Eastern Cape Province is currently using Mother Tongue Based Bilingual Education.
· Coding and Robotics curriculum
The DBE intends to introduce Coding and Robotics as a new subject incrementally, starting with Foundation Phase in 2025. The NEC expressed grave concern that the DBE was ignoring the proposal of unions to have coding and robotics integrated with other subjects.
Educator Unions including SADTU raised concerns with the DBE during the orientation of subject advisors in preparation for the introduction of the new subject. These included among others:
· No plausible justification was provided for the removal of 1-hour notional time from Life Skills in Foundation Phase to accommodate Coding and Robotics as a standalone subject. Life Skills is the backbone to teaching a learning in the Foundation Phase.
· The insistence to introduce Coding and Robotics as a stand-alone subject while it was presented via the integrated method in mathematics and language at orientation as proposed by labour.
· Lack of funding for the roll-out of the training.
· The subject advisors present at the orientation were not only from foundation phase but from FET as well. The challenge would be that the FET advisors will now have to train foundation phase advisors and teachers.
On international matters:
The NEC was grateful to the ANC for taking the apartheid Israel to the IFJ to its genocide in Palestine. The Union commend all the countries who have declared openly that they recognize the State of Palestine.
On the EI World Congress which will take place in Argentina 27 July to 2nd August, the NEC resolved to work with the SADC unions and all sister unions in the world to support the resolutions on the implementation of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendations on the teaching profession.
In conclusion
The NEC emphasised that the unity of the union was of paramount importance especially in an era when blatant lies, tribalism and racism have been elevated to be the norm. It warned members to be vigilant in the era of fake news, misinformation and disinformation which may cause the Union to be vulnerable to blackmail by members who are misinformed, ignorant or are agents of other forces.
ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat
CONTACT: General Secretary, Mugwena Maluleke: 082 783 2968
Deputy General Secretary, Nkosana Dolopi: 082 709 5651
For media comments call:
Secretariat Officer, Xolani Fakude: 071 355 1566
Media Officer, Nomusa Cembi: 082 719 5157