Question 2099
Mr PF Smith (IFP) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether dedicated incentives are provided to suitably qualified teachers to improve the teaching of maths and science in the public school system; if not, why not; if so, what incentives?
Reply:
The policy on Incentives for Educators was declared in December 2007 (Government Notice no. 25, Gazette no. 30678). The aim of the policy is attract and retain educators in areas of scarcity. The policy provides for four types of incentives, namely, posts in schools situated in remote geographical areas; posts in subject/learning areas/phases which are difficult to fill.
The policy identifies mathematics, science, information and communication technology (ICT) and some languages but also allows for Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) to identify scarce subjects or learning areas in terms of their own needs; posts that are in schools situated in the difficult urban zones of the country or the so-called hard-to-teach schools and lastly; the policy also allows for incentives to attached to posts, based on the request from the Principal and the SGB of the school after providing evidence that identified posts are difficult to fill.
To ensure quality, the policy prescribes that for an educator who occupies an incentivised post to be eligible to receive payment he/she must be fully qualified (REQV 13). It is, however, up to each PED to identify its needs and prioritise the types of incentives it is going to pay accordingly. As the priorities could differ across PEDs, therefore it is possible that not all PEDs will prioritise the incentives for scarce subjects.
Source: Department of Basic Education
