Higher Education and Training on payment of Continuing Education and Training educators

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) inherited a total of 38 000 staff members from both the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Community Education and Training (CET) sectors as of 01 April 2015. The Continuing Education and Training Act (CET Act) of 2006 is now the primary legislation for both these sectors which were previously governed by separate legislation.

The former Adult Education and Training (AET) sector never implemented the AET Act with regard to the conditions of service for educators. As a result, all Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) had various payment dispensations for educators with different notches.  These unstructured payments are a major cause for concern for the effective implementation of salary payments for CET educators. The unstructured payments vary from notches, tariffs per hour, and service benefits.

The latter are other residual issues which are outstanding agreements between the former employers (PEDs) with CET educators which have implications for the nature of the shifting of administrative functions of the AET and TVET Colleges from PEDs to the DHET which was implemented as a “going concern”. These include outstanding payment of those debts that existed prior 01 April 2015 which some PEDs did not pay before the shifting of functions.

These issues are a cause for concern for the DHET as it is receiving queries to a level of disengagement. However, the DHET is taking these matters at a very serious light as they contribute to the disruption of services.

In order to address the above concerns, the DHET undertakes the following:

1. The Department is busy crafting staffing norms and standards for the CET so as to standardise employment practice.
2. The nature of appointments in the sector was mainly supply driven to promote access to literacy programmes. With the new legislation vision the department is reviewing and transforming the sector by ensuring that employment of educators is based on a demand model. This implies that funding norms must support this new vision.
3. The department is working hard to ensure that all educators are paid on time.
4. The improved conditions of service for educators are institutionalised to improved accountability and cost effectiveness.
5. All outstanding payments/claims are being given high priority and the department has developed systems for monitoring to ensure that the right people are being paid and those no longer in the employ of the department are timeously terminated.
6. The Department has established a rapid response team which is providing urgent assistance and response on these issues to ensure that there is improved stability.

Media Enquires and Interviews:
Khaye Nkwanyana
Tel: 012 312 5555
Cell: 083 952 9723
E-mail: Nkwanyana.K@dhet.gov.za

Or

Thandeka Masondo
Cell: 083 259 0866
Email: Masondo.T@dhet.gov.za

Or

David Diale
Cell: 083 792 8511
Email: Diale.d@dhet.gov.za