The Democratic Alliance will table a motion with notice this afternoon for the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature to instruct Education MEC Mandla Makupula to enter into immediate negotiations for a financial bailout. The motion also calls for the MEC to table a plan in the Portfolio Committee of Education of how the financial shortfall in the education budget will be dealt with as well as how all substantive vacant posts will be filled.
MEC Makupula viciously attacked me in a sitting of the legislature yesterday (subs: Tues, 25 Sept) when I called on him to seek financial help to prevent over 300 000 Eastern Cape learners from going without teachers in core subjects in 2013.
The only route now is for me to table the motion whereby I hope that the legislature will pass it at its next sitting, ordering the MEC to meet with both National and Provincial Treasury to obtain the R3.4 billion needed to save these teachers.
I call on all ANC representatives in the legislature to support this motion when it will be discussed at the next sitting of the House to prevent chaos in our classrooms in 2013.
The DA hopes that the MEC will note the motion presented to the House today, as there are only two days to go before the MEC must declare the number of teacher posts for 2013.
Passing this motion will be in the long-term interests of Eastern Cape learners as the bailout conditions will force the Education Department to adhere to a strict financial turnaround strategy.
Political sense must prevail across party lines today to prevent over 300 000 learners from having no teachers in 2013.
Edmund van Vuuren, MPL
