Wouter Wessels, FF Plus Youth spokesperson said; “Without well-trained and dedicated teachers, even the best equipped school will be useless. In Mpumalanga 25 000 teachers are boycotting training workshops which is at present being offered. The boycott is the result of a difference between the department of education and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) with regards to the compensation for the attendance of the workshops. These actions are unacceptable as learners in the lower grades in Mpumalanga, according to a recent report, have the poorest performers in the country with regards to literacy and numeracy. The shortage of infrastructure and equipment on its own cannot be blamed. The wrong priorities which are reflected by this boycott of Sadtu can be seen as the cause of the poor performance of learners.”
The FF Plus Youth supports fixed guidelines for basic infrastructure but is of the opinion that communities should take responsibilities for their schools. Frequent vandalism which destroys existing infrastructure should be combated by communities and every parent and learner has to play a part to maintain school buildings and facilities.
“The FF Plus Youth seriously calls on Sadtu and other teacher unions to act responsibly and to realise that the future of South Africa is largely dependent on their members. Social problems, such as poverty and unemployment can never be addressed without an effective education system. The future of the youth and therefore the country is directly dependent on this,” Wessels said.
