The planned transfer of thousands of surplus teachers to schools that attracted more pupils than others in KwaZulu-Natal has been put on hold for the year. This has averted possible disruptions at schools ahead of or during examinations.
The transfer plan - which would have resulted in some pupils writing examinations that were not set by educators who taught them for the better part of the year - was to have been implemented this week to improve the teacher-pupil ratio at some schools. However, recently discovered discrepancies in the education department's statistics have thrown the transfer process into disarray.
The discovery was revealed at a meeting on Friday between education officials and the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) at which it was agreed that statistics on pupils and teachers in KwaZulu-Natal were inaccurate.
Statistics, the parties agreed, were not an accurate reflection to enable the national Department of Education to correctly determine an appropriate funding formula for education in KwaZulu-Natal.
KwaZulu-Natal has the country's biggest education department, with an annual budget of R10 billion. But despite receiving the lion's share of the national education budget, education in KwaZulu-Natal continues to be riven by funding problems, including an apparent failure to lower the teacher-pupil ratio from 1-36 to the national average of 1-35.
"We were able to persuade the department to agree that the post-provisioning norm of 1-36, which had caused tension between us and them, should be put on hold," said Sadtu provincial secretary Ndaba Gcwabaza.
He said either teachers or pupils in KwaZulu-Natal had been undercounted or overcounted. "We then agreed that nobody knew the correct statistics," Gcwabaza said.
The suspension of the transfer of teachers to poor schools will add to the problem of overcrowding in some schools, with the added crisis of some 40 000 grade one learners entering the education system this year.
This followed the relaxation of the school admission policy to six years without providing additional teachers, thus provoking the anger of teachers' unions, which charged that their members were being overworked by having to teach bigger classes.
Sadtu says the relaxation of the school admission policy without employing more educators has reversed attempts to reduce the number of pupils to 36,1 per teacher, adding that the number of six-year-old grade one pupils might double next year as some parents were not aware that the policy was in place.
The suspended transfer of excess teachers has dashed hopes of addressing overcrowding at schools this year.
Education spokesperson Mandla Msibi said the transfer of teachers was an annual exercise to assist schools that attracted more learners.
"We cannot keep teachers in a school where there are fewer learners," said Msibi, adding that the suspended post-provisioning norm education system and the problems brought about by the newly relaxed school admission policy would be discussed at a special provincial education meeting.
