The Department of Basic Education wishes to respond to the numerous comments and enquiries arising from the Department’s advertisement placed in the national press on Sunday 22 August 2010.
The Department stands by the salary figures given for teachers with a matriculation certificate and a four year professional qualification.
Clearly, there are many teachers in South Africa who have a matriculation certificate and a three year or less professional qualification and therefore they would be earning less.
Salary levels quoted in the advertisement reflect the total cost of the teacher’s salary package at specific levels of experience. Included in the figures is the 7% increase for 2010. Many teachers may not be aware that the total salary package includes the housing benefits, the medical aid contributions of the state and the state pension contributions, as well as the cost of the individual’s thirteenth cheque. These benefits are not reflected on the individual’s salary advice notice each month. While some individuals choose not to take particular benefits, salary calculations include all benefits as cost to company.
The Department stands by its assertion that we remain sensitive to the needs of teachers and for this reason implemented the Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD). Given this, and the annual salary increases, we are confident that the salaries of South African teachers compares very favourably with those of teachers in other developing countries.
We remain committed to engage with the leadership of the education sector unions in order to find a solution to the current deadlock. While we recognise the Constitutional right of teachers to strike, we stand firm on the unqualified Constitutional right of all South Africans to basic education.
Enquiries:
Granville Whittle
Cell: 072 148 9575
