Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners from across the Uthukela District held a peaceful protest today (September 8), during which they submitted a memorandum to the Department of Education. They are demanding better working conditions.
Holding placards aloft, the protesters marched from Forbes Street through the CBD to the Department of Education offices in Murchison Street to hand over their memorandum.
Some of their concerns include the stipend cuts, the incentives paid to pre-schools, and also the administration issues between the department and pre-schools. According to them, the situation was far better when they were still under the Department of Social Development.
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Speaking on behalf of the Uthukela ECD Forum, Mr Mduduzi Sibisi said they are not happy with the service they are getting from the Education Department.
“Since we were moved to the Department of Education, things have been getting worse. At first, they cut our stipend to R700, which is way less than a minimum wage. Then they cut the incentives given to pre-schools, which makes it hard for the schools to function properly. We also want them to fix the issue of the committees, because they are given more power than the principal, which in turn makes things bad,” said Sibisi.
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