Teachers' patience runs out

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Wednesday September 1, 2010 00:00

 

Whilst I acknowledge that patience is a virtue, there comes a time inevitably when it runs out,' he said to shouts of 'enough is enough' by teachers attending the BOSETU Special Congress at Goodhope Senior Secondary School.

Hlabano said that teachers' fortunes have changed after they were moved to the Department of Public Service Management (DPSM) from Teaching Service Management by the new Public Service Act.

He explained that the only advantage in the change is that when programmes intended to improve the welfare of public service employees are introduced, teachers will also benefit. 'In the past, it was easy for teachers to be discriminated (in the civil service) ostensibly because they were under a different employer (TSM),' he said.

Hlabano stated that the new Act has increased teachers woes when it should have sorted out their problems. 'We thought the new Public Service Act was the be all and end all and a panacea to the long standing concerns in education but the Act merely added to our troubles or so it seems,' he lamented.

He stated that education is too serious to be left in the hands of unhappy people. He said that they have demonstrated how it would profit the country if government focused on a robust education system that could transform the way of doing things.

'There is however a view expressed in the developed world that (the) best policies are kept in Africa as shelf companies. The argument goes further to say that the policies are then exported to the developed world for implementation. In Africa these policies end on those papers on which they are written. It will take us a while to break away from the stranglehold of the developing and developed countries mode,' Hlabano assrted.

Officiating at the congress, Registrar of the Industrial Court, William Moncho said that the authorities relented and saw the good in an organised public sector movement after pressure of logic from teachers.

He said the Industrial Court is a true court of the people and not the employer's court as has been said. 'Almost 85 percent of the decisions of this court go in favour of employees not employers as is often said. Most importantly though, this is the most easily accessible court. You do not need a lawyer to approach or appear before it,' he said.  The special congress was held under the theme: 'Public Sector Unity in the Wake of Unionisation'.  It ends today.