LIMPOPO – The department has urged the teachers to please be patient while they do their best to resolve their complaints of not being paid for several months.
Department of Education Spokesperson, Dr Naledzani Rasila, told BONUS that the department is doing everything in its power to have these complaints resolved as quickly as possible. About 205 temporary teachers in the province have lodged complaints with the department in this regard.
Rasila said some of the main challenges the department encounters is the process used where documentation for the payments are sent back and forth between the various district offices and the department which causes a big delay in the payment process.
“One of the biggest issues lies in the delivery of the documents which makes on-time payment an almost impossible task, however, the department is dedicated to setting this right,” Rasila said.
He added that the department views the issue in a serious light and that it is the department’s priority to sort out the problem.
“We cannot allow our teachers, who have the responsibility of taking care of our future leaders, to go without compensation for their hard work.
We urge the teachers to be patient and give the department time to address the problem and look after their needs,” Rasila urged.
Sadtu recently threatened to protest on behalf of the teachers who have not received salaries for several months, some since April.
Over the weekend, Sadtu issued a press statement in which they demanded the teachers be paid on or before Tuesday, 23 August or the union will have no other option but to embark on a protest action.
