Motshekga scraps rural incentive for teachers

BASIC Education Minister Angie Motshekga has scrapped the allowance scheme introduced in 2008 to address the problem of teachers shunning rural schools.

She published a notice indicating incentives for rural teachers had been withdrawn, effective from April 1.

Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga told Independent Media yesterday that Motshekga decided to do away with the allowances due to a myriad of challenges, including funds.

The allowances added about 10% to the salaries of teachers in rural schools. But, over the years, teachers in some provinces have had to resort to the courts to compel the provincial education departments to pay up.

Rural-based teachers in Limpopo received a shock last November when the province’s Education Department informed them of its decision to stop the incentive from January 1 this year.

The department blamed the decision on budget cuts that left it scrambling to find an additional R1billion for teachers’ salaries in the province. But it was compelled by a court order in January to reverse the decision, that affected about 6 000 teachers.

The Labour Court found that the provincial department’s head, Onica Dederen, had no powers to “unilaterally” terminate the payment of a rural incentive determined by the minister in terms of national legislation.

Mhlanga said that Motshekga used her prerogative to cancel the allowances. “Due to the perpetual implementation challenges, the minister exercised her rights … to withdraw the policy gazetted on January 18, 2008.”

He said teachers’ unions had been informed of the decision. “The matter was brought to the attention of the unions at the Education Labour Relations Council, where all the unions are represented.”

However, acting president of the National Teachers Union, Sibusiso Malinga, said unions had not been consulted.