The Eastern Cape Department of Education has made a determination of 54 747 posts as a basket of educator posts available to Eastern Cape schools in the 2016 academic year. This reflects a decline from the 55 796 declared 2014 due to a school-based personnel clean-up projects the Department has undertaken.
In terms of legal provisions applicable the: “The Member of the Executive Council responsible for Education in the province must determine the educator post establishment of the provincial department of education in terms of section 5(1) (B) OF THE ACT, 1998 (Act No. 76 of 1998) in accordance with any applicable policy made in terms of the National Education Policy Act of 1996.”
In determining this post establishment of a provincial department of education, the Member of the Executive Council is required to-
(i) Consult with the trade unions in that province which are members of the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), and governing body organisations which are active in that province; and
(ii) Take into account the:
(a) Allocated MTEF budget of the provincial department of education;
(c) Effect that the post establishment will have on the employment security of educators:
(d) Need for redress in the implementation and promotion of curriculum policy in keeping with the basic values and principles set out in section 195 of the Constitution;
(e) Fact that the division between expenditure on personnel and non-personnel costs in the budget should be educationally, administratively and financially justifiable and in accordance with national policy that may exist in this regard: and
(f) Fact that the division between expenditure on educator and non-educator personnel costs in the budget should be educationally, administratively and financially justifiable and in accordance with national policy that may exist in this regard.
(g) In determining the educator post establishment of the provincial department of education, the Member of the Executive Council must also take into account the terms and conditions of employment of educators that may be affected by the post establishment, including provisions for leave, substitution and remuneration-related issues and may not vary any of these terms and conditions of employment.
In carrying out legal provisions stated above, the department is influenced by the following key strategic factors:
- Learner numbers;
- Curriculum needs; and
- Budget/ financial reserves
Contextual understanding of the current PPN Position
The proposed post establishment declaration presented above reflects the department’s on-going challenges and efforts in dealing with inherited structural inefficiencies in the utilisation of its fiscal resources. These inefficiencies manifest most strongly in the inflated demand for educators posts arising from large number of educators additional to the establishment, unresolved cases of ill-health, as well as attrition levels.
As these inefficiencies have not yet been completely eliminated, the elevated demand for educator posts exercises significant pressure on budgetary resources, making it impossible to address the needs for non-educator posts in schools. The pressure on the budget from the provision for educator posts has also resulted in a skewed overall provision for the costs of employees (COE).
Future declarations of post establishments are therefore likely to reflect an increased emphasis and prioritisation of budgetary provision to address the short-falls in non-educator post provision, and in freeing-up resources the support the wide range of non-personnel related quality interventions that are required in the sector.
Enquiries
Mali Mtima
Cell: 084 230 1976
