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Wednesday, January 16, 2013
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Education department says it is ready Unions still concerned over posts
1 GRADE L L A 013! LUCK GOOD RNERS OF 2 LEA
NCEBA DLADLA AND BETTIE GILIOMEE
T
HE Department of Education in the Eastern Cape is ready to deliver on the promise of ensuring that all schools are resourced with the Learner Teacher Support Material (LTSM).
This according to Department of Education spokesperson, Malibongwe Mtima, who said learning would be taking place from the first day of the new school year (today) in the fulfilment of the Eastern Cape Department of Education’s plan to increase on the pass rate of 61.6% last year. Despite improving slightly on the 58.1 % pass rate of the previous year, the Eastern Cape still had the lowest matric pass in the country. By Thursday last week, Mtima said his department had already distributed 85% of textbooks and 98% of stationery to all its schools across the province. The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) in
the province, is however less optimistic about the start of the school year because of what they call “the unilateral declaration of teaching posts for 2013 in the province by the Education MEC (Mandla Makupula). According to Sadtu Provincial Secretary Mncekeleli Ndongeni, the post provisioning in 2013 is 4 000 less than the posts declared in 2012. “Only 60 850 posts have been declared for 2013 - a significant cut from 64 752 posts declared in 2012, which was a further decline from the 69 390 posts declared in 2010,” said Ndongeni. “We are concerned about what this will do to the delivery of quality education in the province as we are going to be confronted by a teacher shortage which will be a further setback in our attempt to respond to the challenges facing education.” National Professional Teachers’ Organisations of SA (Naptosa) in the Eastern Cape believes the challenges staring education in the face in the province relate to a workforce in which the average foot soldiers are under capacitated.
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Little Grade 1 learners in Nelson Mandela Bay start their first official day of their school career today. Tahir Ismail (6) from Charlo Primary (left) and Ryan André Thiersen (6), from Herbert Hurd Primary (right) were at the Newton Park Library last week to prepare for their first day at “big” school today. Photo: ZELDRÉ SWANEPOEL
Upload your Grade 1 photo and win! PE Express would like to see how our metro’s Grade 1’s of 2013 looked on their first day of school. Parents and grandparents are invited to upload a photo of their grade one on the PE Express website (www.pe-express.co.za). Anyone who uploads a photo stands the chance to win one R500
voucher courtesy of Gelvandale Spar. Gelvandale Spar currently has various special offers, not only on back-to-school goods but also on all you need to fill your lunch boxes. To enter, visit www.pe-express.co.za and click on the competitions tab. One person who uploads a photo will be drawn by lucky draw as the winner of the R500 voucher.
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