BTU castigates Tshireletso over transfer remarks

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Friday February 19, 2010 00:00

 

Describing the assistant minister's remarks as unfortunate and not responsible for her new portfolio, BTU secretary general Keorapetse Kgasa adviced Tshireletso to have an open door policy so that teachers can approach her with their concerns instead of just calling them in for punitive action.

Kgasa was responding to comments made by Tshireletso concerning the shortage of staff at a primary school in Kgope village, Kweneng District, where she was addressing a kgotla meeting. 'We urge her to call all those teachers whose names she is requesting and listen to the reasons they advanced in the transfer matter so that she can be the judge of whether they are not genuine,' Kgasa said.

When residents of Kgope complained that the primary school released poor academic results due to shortage of staff, Tshireletso is reported to have requested for the names of the teachers so that she could crack the whip on them. She said anyone who no longer wanted to work should resign, as there were a lot of unemployed graduates who can be employed to take up those positions.

Kgasa said while teachers give valid reasons for their concerns, it is the ministers themselves who are not genuine as they overrule the decisions of administrators in transfer matters to remote areas when it concerns their friends and relatives.

 'She must not go and act holy in those remote villages as if she does not know what is happening,' Kgasa said.

Kgasa gave an example of one teacher in Ramotswa who lost her job after she was made to choose between going for a transfer and staying behind to care for her sick mother. 'That teacher deserted her job because there was no one who would look after her old mother. It is a case about someone that I know,' he said.

'We are not against the employer transferring the teachers to those areas that need their services. We urge her to take all those names that she has requested and listen to the teachers' concerns and transfer them according to their individual cases and not give preference to those who know people in certain offices,' he said.