Skip to main content

To: Minister of Education | Gauteng MEC of Education | Premier of Gauteng: Mr Panyaza Lesufi

Justice for ECD | Grade R Teachers!

* 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!

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. 

Category

Updates

2024-08-01 11:45:40 +0200

JOIN SAECDTU TODAY!
SAECDTU ONLINE MEMBERSHIP!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7pMgzTON3nt_1JPKGCRIBJtPMdxsmzIew_FGguP93_MRY7Q/viewform

2024-07-31 15:08:09 +0200

SAECDTU President Dr BJ Langa on ECD | Grade R Justice!
https://youtu.be/4DL52dzywSw?si=D8aebhzKWz9RmNTn

2024-07-14 18:30:06 +0200

Mna ndikhutshiwe DOE yafaka omnye emthathe kwesinye iskolo since inumber ye class yam ininzi then bathi makaye kwesam nd she's permanent

2024-07-14 18:29:02 +0200

Amaaandla....phambili GradeR teachers phambili kudaaala sibulaleka sinyamezele now it's the time...enough is enough✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿

2024-07-14 18:28:40 +0200

Phambili ✊✊ENOUGH is ENOUGH

2024-07-14 18:28:23 +0200

Phambili ma ECD teacher's now is the time

2024-07-14 18:28:08 +0200

We need to be treated equally,,,ngok isidima sethu siyaxovulwa phantsi as Grade R Teachers✊✊✊

2024-07-14 18:27:31 +0200

Mandibulise kuCde Langa nakuwo onke amaqabane alapha mna ndizobuza ngeyam ingxaki endijongene nayo ngk.Ndinolevel5 ndiyenzile iDiploma in Grade R Teaching ndayigqiba ngk ingxaki apho ikhoyo ndiyatyala i institution le bendifunda kuyo kuba zange ndibenayo intlantla yokubhatalelwa nguNSFAS ngoku ke iQualification yam ibanjiwe yile Institution andikwazi kuqesheka ngokupheleleyo and kule mali incinci ndiyipeyayo andikwazi nokulibhatala elityala ngexesha elinye.Lonto indenza ndilibaziseke nasekuqhubekekeni nojubheka phambili ukwenza iDegree yam.Ndicela ukuncedwa apho.Enkosi.

2024-07-14 18:26:48 +0200

We've lost so many Grade R Teachers who have been working for many years, laying a good education foundation. Painfully they died and left their kids with nothing. Having earned nothing while they were still alive.. Justice to be done...

2024-07-14 18:26:19 +0200

Molweni bethuna kwesam isikolo kukho tishalakazi Ona 20 years as a Grade R teacher una 60 years ngoku uzoyeka uphangela uzoyohlala engenayo nesenti kodwa ebephangela kubuhlungu kakhulu 😭😭

2024-07-12 16:00:08 +0200

Today, a Senior Representative of SAECDTU visited the National Department of Basic Education; solidifying the notification of a National Picketing March on the 24th July 2024 in Tshwane. He says to the Minister: “IT’S YOUR CALL! To restore the dignity of our demised, degraded and forgotten ECD/Grade R Teachers in South Africa. Failure has been a curse since the tenure of Dr Nelson Mandela’s DET to Angie Motshegoa’s DoE; still our teachers are subjected to atrocious injustices of signing contracts for 20 years, in which it is against the labour law for someone to be under a contractual agreement for more than three(3) months; on contract most teachers are deployed by SGB but paid by the Department of Education. Enough - is - Enough. #InjusticetoOneInjusticetoAll #JusticeForGradeRTeachers #MinisterSiviweGwarube_IT’S YOUR CALL! Regards Dr BJ Langa.

2024-07-10 01:30:36 +0200

1,000 signatures reached

2024-07-09 11:06:22 +0200

500 signatures reached

2024-07-09 08:37:54 +0200

All teachers must be inclusively taken care of, particularly the Grade Rs and Abet because the fall outside the system but playing a great role in our society. Having to groom our children from a clean slate eg. APPLE (a, e, i, o, u) and Abet teachers who has to deal with students who are mostly demotivated, segregated, excommunicated and some have given up but due to the help of Abet teachers, most of this students are reinstated to the system and becomes better citizens. Regards. Dr Langa, BJ.

2024-07-09 08:33:15 +0200

We are also determined to meet the DG of Government Employees Pension Fund to discuss the issue of benefits and pension funds for the State employed teachers, be it, part-time or full-time / permanent or not. Regards. Dr Langa, BJ.