Education
With regard to the Daily Voice article of 7 October 2024 with the title “Contract onnies’ jobs safe”:
Whether this agreement will include the 2 407 staff members earmarked to lose their jobs in January 2025; if not, why not; if so, what percentage will be affected?
My department has informed me of the following:
The WCED is reducing the Basket of Posts in 2025 by 2 407.
The article refers to the conversion of qualified contract educators that meet the appointment requirements as per the Personnel Administration Measures. This is also regulated in terms of Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) Collective Agreement 2 of 2024.
It should be noted that the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) was already undertaking this process, and the settlement at the ELRC confirmed this.
Through this process, the WCED aims to convert qualifying contract appointments in vacant and funded substantive educator posts within the 2024 educator staff establishments by 15 November 2024. The conversions are subject to the criteria and process as prescribed in the relevant ELRC Collective Agreement.
Since January, we have converted over 5 200 contract appointments to permanent appointments in qualifying posts.
The WCED issued schools with their 2025 educator staff allocations for the 2025 academic year on 30 August 2024. Communications about the process off declaring permanent educators in addition to the staff establishments of schools, and to match and place educators against vacant substantive posts, were extensively consulted and discussed with strategic partners including unions and district officials.
Schools are to identify which teachers will either not have their contract renewed, if still on contract, or be placed in excess, if permanent. The number of teachers affected will depend on the educator staff allocation at a particular school.
A teacher that is still on contract may or may not have their contract renewed for 2025, depending on the needs of the school for that particular skills set, the number of vacancies at the school, and the number of posts that the school is required to reduce.
