The basic education department wants to increase the number of schools managed by education districts – a move envisaged to severely affect service delivery by an already struggling system.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has proposed that education districts should take charge of between 250 to 400 schools, up from the 75 to 300 they currently handle.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) has warned that the plan will have a negative effect on support provided to teachers and principals, exacerbating existing problems.
“We cannot sacrifice or compromise on quality. We cannot allow a situation where our children are going to get second grade services,” says Sadtu’s general secretary, Mugwena Maluleke.
The officers in the education districts assist principals and teachers to improve the quality of teaching through school visits and classroom observation.
Follow