* That the role of teachers' unions is to focus on teachers' "welfare" and that by commenting on public policy, teachers' unions are acting beyond their mandate.
* That leaders of teachers' trade unions should not speak on behalf of unions since they are not paid for doing so by the employer but rather paid for teaching and managing schools.
As the Executive of the Trainers and Allied Workers Union (TAWU), representing teaching and administration staff in tertiary institutions, we were shocked and very disappointed by the Minister's statements, coming from such a high level in government. Although we are shocked, this is not the first time that a minister makes such public statements concerning the role of teachers' unions. In early 2006, the Assistant Minister of Education, Moggie Mbaakanyi, addressing staff at Lobatse College of Education, warned teacher organisations to neither debate nor takes positions publicly on matters relating to public policy. Earlier, the Director of Teaching Service Management (TSM), Opelo Makhandlela had been quoted as expressing disturbance that teacher organisations were acting as interest groups. We reacted to the statement through the media, trying to show that such a narrow, conservative view of the role of teachers' unions violates democratic rights and is an act of intimidation on union leaders and union members.
