Ministry to remedy teachers' differing salaries

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Thursday August 9, 2012 00:00

 

The Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) Keletso Rakhudu says his ministry is working to remedy the prevalent situation where teachers with the same qualifications but serve at different levels of primary and secondary schools are paid varied salary packages. 

The broader part of the remedial process lies with the Public Service Bargaining Council, Rakhudu said, therefore he cannot pre-empt discussions by stating the time frame at which his ministry's remedial actions will be effective.

However, he said that the implementation of any of the remedies will not be in retrospect, meaning there will be no reimbursement to the disadvantaged teachers. He said his Ministry is aware that teachers with the same qualifications serving at different levels are paid differently.  He said entry levels are the same at both primary and secondary levels, with Diploma holders entering at C4 salary scale, while Degree holders enter at C3.

Progression thereafter differs due to different levels of operation 'as defined by the existing schemes of service for the respective cadres,' he said. The Assistant Minister said immediate attention will be given to the decongestion between the Deputy School Heads and the Heads of Department.

Meanwhile, Rakhudu admitted that the change in salary scales for primary school heads, which was announced early this year by minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, was not done in consultation with teacher unions. 'It's true that when we started our decongestion, we assumed that it was administrative and within our ambit, especially since the cadres involved are in management and not members of unions, so [the salary scale] couldn't depend on union negotiations,' he said.

Rakhudu was responding to a question from Shoshong MP Philip Makgalemele.