Teacher unions assess corruption claims
The SA Onderwysunie has argued that the "greatest prevalence of fraudulent appointments" arose at the departmental level.
|||Durban - Giving provincial Education Department officials the sole responsibility for selecting principals would not be the solution to the cronyism and corruption in the appointment of school leaders.
The SA Onderwysunie has argued that the “greatest prevalence of fraudulent appointments” arose at the departmental level, when provincial officials “abused” the prerogative as employer.
The union was reacting to one of the apparent recommendations in a damning preliminary report on the selling of teaching posts in South Africa, based on a probe commissioned by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.
The report warns that teachers’ unions have a stranglehold on the government, and points a finger at the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) in particular.
The SA Onderwysunie said it was not surprised by the findings of the probe, as it had expected the prevalence of the dubious practices for some time, but could not prove it.
It said the process for interviewing and selecting principals was not to blame, but rather some of the people involved at the school level, and at the department level.
The SA Onderwysunie argued that school governing bodies, principals and the union representative (observer) on the interview committee connived to push for a particular candidate.
At department level, the officials responsible for considering the recommendation of the school governing body were aware of the “fraudulent recommendation” of the governing body and merely condoned it; or departmental officials ignored the recommendation of the school governing body and appointed their own candidate.
To place the entire interview and selection process in the hands of “dubious departmental officials” was to “make the wolf the shepherd” the union said.
The probe commissioned by Motshekga is being carried out by a team that includes forensic investigators, and is headed by educationist Professor John Volmink.
On Monday, Volmink expressed “grave concern” and “regret” that the “unfinished” preliminary report and the sensitive information therein had been linked to the media.
“Details of the interim report were not meant to be shared with the public until after the finalisation of the report,” Volmink said.
A completed report is expected to be released in February.
Sadtu’s national leadership has vociferously defended the union against allegations that its members run the education system in most provinces, and appoint principals through a system of corruption and cadre deployment. Sadtu has argued that the actions of a few individuals in isolated cases have been construed as true of the majority.
At a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Motshekga said the preliminary report had confirmed corruption in the appointment of teachers and school principals, and that the authority of the state and the powers of certain stakeholders in the appointment process would need to be reviewed.
leanne.jansen@inl.co.za
The Mercury
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