Teachers are bunking

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Balstrome

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Provinces report thousands of days taken off, often without permission or explanation
Oct 4, 2009 11:12 PM | By PREGA GOVENDER, LAUREN COHEN and ZANDILE MBABELA

As South Africa's matric pupils begin their final exams this month, some of their teachers have taken thousands of days leave each year.

Four of the country's nine provincial education departments told The Times they have fired 86 teachers for bunking school, and slapped another 51 with misconduct charges for skipping classes during the past financial year.

In response to a parliamentary question, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said the country's 371,449 teachers took 79,848 days of sick leave between April last year and March.

However, The Times has established that in just four provinces - Mpumalanga, North West Free State and Eastern Cape - almost one million teaching days were lost to sick leave, vacation leave in addition to school holidays, maternity leave and leaves of absence for which no permission was granted.

Spokespeople for the remaining five provinces were not able to provide total absentee figures.

In the North West alone, 13,338 teachers, who booked off sick for 82,764 days, cost the department R42-million.

The Times has learned that 54 teachers in Limpopo, 26 in the Free State and six in the Eastern Cape were fired for bunking.

In the North West, 51 teachers were charged with misconduct and will have to face disciplinary hearings for truancy.

Although only six teachers were sacked for bunking in the Eastern Cape, figures from the past financial year show that 18752 teachers took unauthorised leave. Teachers are allowed 36 days sick leave over a three-year cycle, but hundreds of them are staying away for longer periods, some as a result of illnesses including HIV/Aids.

Education expert Professor Jonathan Jansen, rector and Vice-Chancellor at the University of the Free State, said teacher absenteeism was a huge crisis and the profession lacked "routine and discipline".

He said South Africa did not have professional teachers - "we have workers" who are "not high-level professionals".

Nomusa Cembi, spokeswoman for the SA Democratic Teachers Union, said they were also worried that so many teachers were taking time off.

"We believe there are deeper issues behind this, such as stress. The department needs to work together with teachers to improve this," she said.

Ezra Ramasehla, president of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA, blamed bad principals and department heads for not implementing leave policies.

"The districts are the weak link. They must come down on school principals who allow their staff to abuse leave," he said.

Free State Education Department spokesman Isaac Ntshauba said they strictly control teacher attendance, maintain registers, and require that "employees sign on and off at all times to manage adherence to working hours".

He said an independent health risk manager was appointed to advise on all "incapacity leave applications" involving leave of more than 36 days in a three-year cycle, which is "only approved based on sound medical evidence and evidence that the educator used his 36 days leave judiciously".

North West Education Department spokesman Charles Raseala said his department was implementing drastic measures to curb absenteeism. These include forcing teachers who were absent more than twice in two months without supplying doctors' certificates to produce sick notes for all subsequent periods of absence, even if it was for only one day.

He said disciplinary action was taken against 51 teachers who did not call to say they'd be off work or provide a reason for their absence.

Limpopo Education Department spokesman Ndo Mangala said teachers who violate their service conditions, which include being absent for 14 days without permission, were "deemed dismissed".

Gauteng education MEC Barbara Creecy said yesterday during a briefing on matric exam readiness they were expecting improved results this year after holding Saturday and holiday classes for Grade 12 pupils in disadvantaged schools. Those classes, she said, would be "intensified" from today.

The exams start on October 26 and end on December 4.

Cembi said Sadtu hoped that despite conditions in many schools not having improved, the pass rate would. "Sadtu has shown commitment to improving marks, with holiday and weekend classes in KwaZulu-Natal. We hope to expand this to other provinces next yea
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Question for us older folk, Do you remember how much time off did your teachers take in the good old racist past ?
 
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Balstrome said:
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Question for us older folk, Do you remember how much time off did your teachers take in the good old racist past ?
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Not much, BUT:
Teachers had medical coverage, very good housing subsidies, tax benefits, good pay scales that reflected the cost of living, their childrens education was subsidized, even though school fees were very low. Classes were considered large with 20 -25 pupils, as today that is considered small. Children were allowed to be diciplined and had to work hard to pass, unlike today where they are often pushed through to the next level.
In essence, the state ran a tight ship WRT schools, but also took good care of the teachers and staff.
You cannot really compare yesterday's schooling and today's schooling, as they barely resemble each other.
 
Nanfeishen said:
Not much, BUT:
Teachers had medical coverage, very good housing subsidies, tax benefits, good pay scales that reflected the cost of living, their childrens education was subsidized, even though school fees were very low. Classes were considered large with 20 -25 pupils, as today that is considered small. Children were allowed to be diciplined and had to work hard to pass, unlike today where they are often pushed through to the next level.
In essence, the state ran a tight ship WRT schools, but also took good care of the teachers and staff.
You cannot really compare yesterday's schooling and today's schooling, as they barely resemble each other.
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This totally why we CAN compare the two, it has been done, therefore there is nothing from stopping us from doing it again. My point was that the teachers of the old days, wanted to teach and educate, as Prof Jansen says, teachers today are Werkers nothing more.
 
Balstrome said:
This totally why we CAN compare the two, it has been done, therefore there is nothing from stopping us from doing it again. My point was that the teachers of the old days, wanted to teach and educate, as Prof Jansen says, teachers today are Werkers nothing more.
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Unfortunately that system is linked to apartheid, and therefore taboo, no matter if it worked or not.
And in todays political clime, many still unfortunately have negative views of anything to do with the past.
 
Garyvdh said:
apartheid's fault
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Hope thats a joke as I can't see how it bred laziness and disrespect for their position and charges. I would like to believe that all teachers believe in their jobs and roles but sadly this makes a clear example that many do not.
 
Don't blame them the way some of the kid's act! Like being in a gangwar...
 
Blame the ANC or rather ANCYL!

Remember how during the elections those morons in the ANC/ANCYL went to school classes to campaign for votes.
 
Well lets just say schools just aren't what the USED to be!
 
DigitalSoldier said:
Blame the ANC or rather ANCYL!

Remember how during the elections those morons in the ANC/ANCYL went to school classes to campaign for votes.
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Well when I looked after hostel kids most grade 11 and 12's were in their twenties:erm:
 
Blaze786 said:
When I was in school we had a 26 year old with us in Matric :O
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:eek: How old did they start at!!:eek:


Mine started at 6 but I'm sure there are people that decides to either try again or never had the chance to start at 6.
 
No idea, I know he failed twice in matric and prolly a couple other grades, he definately wasn't the brightest of people...
 
Blaze786 said:
No idea, I know he failed twice in matric and prolly a couple other grades, he definately wasn't the brightest of people...
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:D:D The bunch I worked with too:D

And the teachers just said that they cannot discipline or fail these people without major drama so they rather have the government fail them end of grade 12. Then it was not their problem.

Was at a family do yesterday, the people with children say that they have to mark and give their own children marks on home work!!! I was shocked!
 
Mila said:
:D:D The bunch I worked with too:D

And the teachers just said that they cannot discipline or fail these people without major drama so they rather have the government fail them end of grade 12. Then it was not their problem.

Was at a family do yesterday, the people with children say that they have to mark and give their own children marks on home work!!! I was shocked!
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Sad state of affairs if you ask me, teachers along with a lot of other professionals in this country and many others I am sure have lost their "want" to teach or whatever other talent is required for their chosen profession. People these days just do their jobs for the sake of doing them... Sad state, truly...
 
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