BOSETU, DPSM finally reach settlement
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday August 17, 2018 13:19
According to a letter updating members from BOSETU secretary general, Tabokani Rari, the meeting between the two parties took place this week as ordered by the court. The Lobatse Judge, Godfrey Nthomiwa had given both parties time to engage on terms and return to court on August 7, 2017.
The case was about what the teacher union terms discrimination against their members whom they believe deserve to be paid scarce skills given that the many Business Studies and Accounting teachers employed in junior and secondary school are foreign nationals.
“At this meeting, DPSM & MoBE indicated that teachers in possession of the following qualifications qualify to be paid and as such will be paid scarce skill as per the Court Order of August 2017; Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting), AAT Level 4, Bachelor of Accountancy, ACCA, Diploma in Accounting and Business Studies (DABS), National Diploma in Accounting. This issue was not disputed,” he noted.
Furthermore, he explained that the union indicated the need for the following to be included in the list of qualifications that warrant to be remunerated for Scarce Skill as well, because in its interpretation of the Court Order, its either that they were synonymous with some of the qualifications stated above that have been approved, or they are covered under the phrase ‘other related qualification’ in the Court Order; Diploma in Secondary Education (Business Studies), Bed (Majoring in Accounts), Bed Economics & Management Sciences (majoring in Accounting & Business Studies Management), B Tech (Accounting & Economics).
On the above qualifications, that the union indicated that they should be included, DPSM and MoBE responded by stating that they would have to subject some of them to an assessment process where they will have to look at the transcripts, while others would have to be subjected to an assessment process by either BQA or the offering institutions to establish their equivalence with some of those that have been approved.
The union argued that there was shortage in the two fields. According to the filing notice, dated March 2017, BOSETU was requesting that the DPSM pay scarce skill allowances to teachers who are members of the applicant’s Union, holding degree in Accounting and related qualifications in accordance with DPSM circular savingram of December 2, 2015.
This was subsequent to a skills review audit in November 2009, which also covered holders of the AAT qualifications.
“Moreover, in April 2013 another savingram was circulated to all ministries to pay diploma holders in accounting and business studies scarce skills allowance effective from April 1, 2013. Employees holding diploma in accounting and business studies were erroneously omitted in the savingram of DPSM dated April 23, 2013.”
The notice also indicated that on March 31, 2014 the then director of DPSM, Carter Morupisi issued a savingram authorising public service employees holding diploma in accounting and business studies to earn scarce skills allowance that effected on April 1, 2014.
The 2015 savingram authorising employees holding degree in accounting or related qualifications to be paid scarce skills allowance, this resulted in school bursars getting the scarce skills allowance as well, initially they were left out but their counterparts under the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning were paid.