Dugmore
17 September 2007
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) continues to invest heavily in
teacher development, said MEC Cameron Dugmore at the annual provincial teaching
awards ceremony on Friday evening (14 September) in Cape Town.
MEC Dugmore said: "Our Teaching Assistant Initiative is attracting great
support across the country and has received favourable reports from independent
assessors."
Four-hundred-and-twenty members of the first intake of Teaching Assistants
are enrolled for year two of a certificate in education and 90 new ones are
enrolled in year one.
Last week we awarded 50 bursaries to assistants to complete their second
year of study and we have secured 20 bursaries, via the Education and Training
Development Practices (ETDP) Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA),
for Teaching Assistants who want to tackle full time study.
The WCED Teacher Bursary Programme has 97 bursars of whom 34 complete their
studies this year. And 107 of the 420 Funza Lushaka bursars also qualify this
year.
The adjusted salary scales we have been anticipating for so long are under
final discussion at a national level and we look forward to exciting progress
in this regard once settlement has been reached.
We continue to invest heavily in our valuable Employee Wellness Programme
which offers, amongst other things, a toll-free, 24-hour telephone counselling
service. The service provides expert counselling and advice on a wide range of
issues relating to mental, emotional, physical, financial and legal help for
our employees. Qualified, experienced counsellors provide the service.
Our Cape Teaching Institute provides residential courses not only for
teachers but also, increasingly, for Heads of Departments (HODs) and school
principals."
For enquiries, contact:
Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Officer
Tel: 021 467 2523
Cell: 082 550 3938
Fax: 021 425 5689
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
17 September 2007
