Teachers
DBE ‘concerned’ about growing number of teachers fired for gross misconduct
A report by the South African Council of Educators has found at least 11 teachers have been let go after they were found guilty of a range of charges.
The Annual National Teaching Awards event in Kempton Park on Wednesday was attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa where teachers were praised for helping children despite facing their own challenges amid the pandemic.
During President Cyril Ramaphosa' address at the National Teaching Awards ceremony, he spoke about youth unemployment. #Ramaphosa #NTA
Psychiatrist, Dr Alicia Porter, said that returning to the classroom placed further pressure on teachers, as some struggled with a lack of PPE, challenges in monitoring learners' compliance with the rules, fears of contagion and children being sent to school with COVID-19 symptoms.
This equates to 76% of the 55,000 target.
The Basic Education Department said that while they initially targeted 582,000 people in the sector, they'd now added over 789,000 staff including food handlers, janitors and support staff from independent schools and ECD centres on the EVDS system.
The department said 9,113 employees in the sector, including those with comorbidities, had turned down their opportunity to receive their Johnson & Johnson jab.
More than 230,000 educators and other staff have so far been inoculated since the drive was launched a week ago.
The minister on Tuesday gave an update on the sector’s response to COVID-19 under the stipulated alert level 4 of the lockdown.
From Wednesday, teachers and school staff in most parts of the country will be inoculated while those in the Western Cape will have to wait until Friday.
The Department of Health's Nicholas Crisp provided an update on the national vaccination rollout programme during a COVID-19 briefing on 18 June 2021. He outlined the special vaccination programmes that will target educators, police, military and correctional services.
But when schools reopen in February and when the first vaccines arrive, the ANC wants teachers to be prioritised like other frontline workers.
As essential workers, educators will be included in phase two of South Africa’s vaccine roll-out.
More than 1,600 teachers have died after contracting the virus since the pandemic hit our shores - that's more than double the number of health care workers and police officers combined.
The Basic Education Department instructed all teachers granted concessions to work from home during the nationwide lockdown to report back to school on Monday.
There is renewed anxiety in the sector as thousands of pupils are expected back at school on Tuesday.
Both men are accused of being involved with the 18-year-old from Umlazi Comprehensive High School.
Deputy President David Mabuza said that if the country had the infrastructure, learning and teaching would have started a long time ago online.
Sibiya, who received the best global teacher award in Dubai at the weekend, said he reached over 25,000 pupils across the country.