To: Minister of Education | Gauteng MEC of Education | Premier of Gauteng: Mr Panyaza Lesufi
Justice for ECD | Grade R Teachers!
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* Campaign update: Last week as The South African Early Childhood Development (ECD) Teachers Union we called on the Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube to note frustrations of Grade R teachers. We marched to the Department's offices in Pretoria to deliver a memorandum of demands.These include permanent employment and benefits like medical aid and pension funds. Watch the march here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2vDTFEybmc
It is high-time we treat the elementary Educators or Practitioners in dignity in South Africa, as they play a great role in the development of our children, at a very critical stage that needs a rare skill of an ECD | Grade R Practitioners/Teachers. The Law of Numeracy teaches us to value No. ‘0’ as the beginning of the timeline; this can only be imparted from Gr R, as a build-up towards basic and higher education.
The MEC of Education in Gauteng, Mr Panyaza Lesufi declared the full absorbing of the ECD from Social Development to the Department of Education. While the Grade R Teachers started at the helm in the early 2000s and are subjected to alleged discrimination though holding the same degrees as teachers in Grades (1-12). In regard to compensation and benefits, it is indeed disheartening and a disgrace as the ECD | Grade R are not catered for pertaining reasonable salaries, medical aid subsidies, house allowance and a barbaric pension scheme that only covers two(2) years payout, even when a Grade R teacher has been with the school of 16 years or more.
We demand the Ministry of Education to treat this matter as an urgent matter of national interest. We will make sure the whole country is at stand still, in one faithful day, no school, no work, until the Minster of Education has addressed our grievances and demands.
ECD | Grade R Teachers DEMAND: JUSTICE!
It is high-time we treat the elementary Educators or Practitioners in dignity in South Africa, as they play a great role in the development of our children, at a very critical stage that needs a rare skill of an ECD | Grade R Practitioners/Teachers. The Law of Numeracy teaches us to value No. ‘0’ as the beginning of the timeline; this can only be imparted from Gr R, as a build-up towards basic and higher education.
The MEC of Education in Gauteng, Mr Panyaza Lesufi declared the full absorbing of the ECD from Social Development to the Department of Education. While the Grade R Teachers started at the helm in the early 2000s and are subjected to alleged discrimination though holding the same degrees as teachers in Grades (1-12). In regard to compensation and benefits, it is indeed disheartening and a disgrace as the ECD | Grade R are not catered for pertaining reasonable salaries, medical aid subsidies, house allowance and a barbaric pension scheme that only covers two(2) years payout, even when a Grade R teacher has been with the school of 16 years or more.
We demand the Ministry of Education to treat this matter as an urgent matter of national interest. We will make sure the whole country is at stand still, in one faithful day, no school, no work, until the Minster of Education has addressed our grievances and demands.
ECD | Grade R Teachers DEMAND: JUSTICE!
Why is this important?
Every South African is affected by an ECD | Grade R Teacher one way or the other; in a positive way of Education. These Practitioners | Teachers are very important and critical to the upbringing and grooming of our children with special skills imparted on infants at a preparatory stage, in which is a critical state in the life of a human being.
We always ask a similar question: “Why are teachers underpaid and with less benefits while they produce all careers such as Medical Doctors, Lawyers, Social Workers, Police, Public Servants, Surgeons, Scientists, Corporate Business, Politicians, and more.
It is well known that public servants such as teachers; must be well taken by the government after adhering pension. But it is not the case with the Grade R Teachers; the Ministry of Education is alleged to recompense or pay all pension teachers a once off payment for only two years of all the years they worked and without a government pension contribution.
Justice for Workers and South African Early Childhood Development Teachers Union (SAECDTU) asks for your partnership and solidarity in this noble and matter of National Interest. We cannot allow the government’s maladministration and day-light robbery of hard earned monies of trusted servants (Teachers) who are responsible to care for our children on a daily basis for at least 8-12 hours. I have signed this petition already; join thousands of South Africans who advocates for justice.
We always ask a similar question: “Why are teachers underpaid and with less benefits while they produce all careers such as Medical Doctors, Lawyers, Social Workers, Police, Public Servants, Surgeons, Scientists, Corporate Business, Politicians, and more.
It is well known that public servants such as teachers; must be well taken by the government after adhering pension. But it is not the case with the Grade R Teachers; the Ministry of Education is alleged to recompense or pay all pension teachers a once off payment for only two years of all the years they worked and without a government pension contribution.
Justice for Workers and South African Early Childhood Development Teachers Union (SAECDTU) asks for your partnership and solidarity in this noble and matter of National Interest. We cannot allow the government’s maladministration and day-light robbery of hard earned monies of trusted servants (Teachers) who are responsible to care for our children on a daily basis for at least 8-12 hours. I have signed this petition already; join thousands of South Africans who advocates for justice.