Minister steps in as PE schools prepare to open

[caption id="attachment_93904" align="aligncenter" width="452"] EXTRA MILE: Eastern Cape Education MEC Mandla Makupula, left, speaks at a media briefing about the northern areas education crisis. He is flanked by Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Danny Jordaan. Picture: MIKE HOLMES[/caption]

SCHOOLS in Port Elizabeth’s northern areas have been thrown a much-needed lifeline, with 45 Afrikaans teachers made available by the Department of Basic Education.

And it is hoped that following the ongoing protests due to the teacher shortage, schools will reopen tomorrow.

Northern Areas Education Forum (NAEF) secretary Richard Draai said last night the schools were only expected to reopen tomorrow as teachers and pupils still needed to be notified about developments.

“Some principals were in meetings until very late [last night] with the department, and because of logistics we were not able to notify our people” he said.

Eastern Cape Education MEC Mandla Makupula told a media briefing yesterday that the national department came to their rescue.

The 45 include 30 Afrikaans-medium foundation phase teachers and 15 Afrikaans- medium teachers for maths, science and other critical subjects.

“Schools must just appoint teachers. I’ve gone the extra mile and sourced teachers,” Makupula said.

“So if you say you are short of warm bodies, I’ll give you a list [of available teachers] so that you can fill in [the necessary] papers today.”

Makupula visited Port Elizabeth yesterday in a desperate bid to calm a volatile situation, in which parents fed-up with sending their children to classes with no teachers closed down 33 schools in the northern areas.

The MEC, accompanied by Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Danny Jordaan, district director Dr Nyathi Ntsiko and senior district officials, met principals at the department’s Sidwell offices to iron out the many education challenges in the area.

These include the non-payment of 213 teachers in the district and across the province.

Makupula said yesterday 177 of them could expect payment by August 8.

He said the appointment of teachers in the district was a continuing effort, with the department working to fill all vacant posts.

“It is not the department refusing to appoint teachers; the department has given the authority to schools to appoint teachers.

“The challenge is to get the relevant warm bodies to teach the subjects as required by the schools,” he said.

-Zandile Mbabela