Eastern Cape teachers wait to be paid

Bhisho and DA cross swords on state of appointments

NEARLY 300 teachers who received appointment letters earlier this year are still waiting for payment, with the Eastern Cape Department of Education saying it is still trying to process 1 000 appointments.

According to the department, it has also not yet filled all 1 665 vacant posts in the 23 districts earmarked to gain more teachers.

While department spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said only 66 appointment letters had not yet been issued, DA MPL for education Edmund van Vuuren said the figure was closer to 183.

Van Vuuren said he had received this information from teacher unions.

“It is shocking,” he said.

“The department has been trying to keep things quiet for a while now.

“The MEC said he would appoint 1 665 teachers in the province but he has not. Also, not all the teachers who have been appointed have been paid.”

But Mtima said the department had set up a central processing centre in East London to fast-track all teacher appointments made this year.

“The department was under pressure and then issued those letters of appointment on one condition, that those educators would provide all the things relating to their appointment such as the necessary documents and certified certificates,” he said.

“However, there are still documents outstanding and payment cannot be processed until we have all the required documents.

“There are fewer than 300 teachers who still need to be processed to receive payment.”

Mtima also said the department had not appointed the envisioned 1 665 teachers due to late submissions from schools. “We have to work according to time frames and where appointments have not been made, that is because schools were late in submitting their profiles to us.”

But Van Vuuren said: “I think money has been set aside for these appointments but it just boils down to incompetence. If you look at the Western Cape and Gauteng, you will see that there are no excess teachers.

“Here we have 5 478 teachers in excess and 3 146 vacancies.

“Our department is too unionised and too political and our children are the ones who continue to suffer.”

Van Vuuren said Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle had said in his state of the province address that every school in the province should have a permanent principal.

But, while 381 principal posts had been advertised, no appointments had yet been made, Van Vuuren said.

Mtima said the department had received applications and the process was now in the selection phase.

“When selection is completed, interviews will be conducted.

“You cannot take shortcuts in this process,” Mtima said.