Education vacancies still unfilled
- Published on 19 Sep 2016
- HR Pulse News Desk
Gauteng Education department has failed to fill 10,2% of its approved vacancies. According to department’s 2015/16 Annual Report, there were 89 407 posts approved, but only 80 256 posts were filled. The year-on-year vacancy rate has increased from 9.9% to 10.2%.
The report indicates that 6418 jobs were terminated, and it is highly concerning that many of these posts are highly skilled and permanent.
Resignations and expiry of contracts are two major reasons for termination of employment. Failure to fill these vacancies continues to put pressure on schools and severely compromises the quality of learning and teaching. Furthermore, the department recorded an annual staff turnover rate of 8,2%. This is not acceptable.
The Public Ordinary Schools Education Programme underspent its budget due to unfilled vacancies. This means learners are denied the opportunity to be taught in a reasonable class size, as fewer teachers have to carry more tasks. Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi should not be complacent as the shortage of teachers is affecting teaching in our public ordinary schools.
