The Times
*Teachers reject evaluation plan* *Katharine Child, The Times, Johannesburg, 28 March 2012*The SA Democratic Teachers' Union intends fighting any regulation that might hold teachers accountable for poor pass rates.
The union decided at its annual policy conference in Kempton Park on the East Rand over the weekend that the existing regulation monitoring teachers' performances was "progressive enough" and that it needed only to be enforced.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga last year said all principals would have to sign agreements to hold them accountable for improving their school pass rates.
But Sadtu media spokesman Nomusa Cembi said yesterday that "more rules on teachers would not help schools reach a higher pass rate".
Until schools were at an "equal level" and properly resourced, the union would be against any evaluation contracts.
"You can't be a teacher and perform when the government doesn't bring the textbooks on time. How many schools are overcrowded?"
Wits professor and education expert Graeme Bloch also questioned how performance agreements would help teachers improve results.
"If you are a teacher who needs help teaching maths, who do you go to for support? A performance contract would instruct a teacher to improve results, but how does a teacher do that?"
Bloch said it was a narrow-minded approach to target principals."It's too easy to talk about principals not producing when the government doesn't provide adequate resources and support."
He said he believed school principals needed to be held accountable, but so did "politicians and district officials".
The DA's spokesman on education, Annette Lovemore, said she worked with hard-working principals from Eastern Cape who dealt with administration departments that were in "an absolute mess".
"The entire system needs to be looked at. There must be accountability at every single level," she said.
However, it was "absolutely astounding" that Sadtu was rejecting performance agreements.
She said teachers were expected "to have a high level of commitment to the future of our children".
Lovemore said in a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting last week that Deputy Minister of Basic Education Enver Surty made it clear performance agreements would be put in place, saying principals and deputy principals would be expected to sign performance agreements.
But Cembi said Sadtu wanted the government to en sure each school had a library, enough toilets, sports facilities, water and electricity.
Bloch said: "We give the unions too many excuses [not to perform] by not resourcing schools properly."
CEO of the Governing Body Foundation Tim Gordon said it would welcome "any initiative that would support the improvement of teachers' performance".
"Credible research shows that principals' performance is a determining factor in a school's success. The second most important factor in determining a school's success is a teacher's performance above resources, such as libraries and computer labs," Gordon said.
*From: http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2012/03/28/teachers-reject-evaluation-plan*
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