RATIONALISATION AND REDEPLOYMENT IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR
BACKGROUND
1. The June 1998 agreements between the then Minister of Education and the 3 teacher unions called for: -
1.1 a determination by the Minister on national norms and standards with regard to educator post provisioning;
1.2 an equitable distribution of educator personnel;
1.3 a process for the determination and redeployment of educators declared in excess; and
1.4 a centralised approach in the consultations and negotiations around the above points.
2. Through a process of consultations, workshops and negotiations between the Department of Education, together with Provincial Education Departments (PED), and teacher unions:-
2.1 national regulations were developed and published to provide for:-
• the creation of educator posts in a PED and
• the distribution of these posts in terms of an educator post provisioning model;
2.2 an agreement was concluded in the ELRC, which established the procedure for Rationalisation and Redeployment of educators in the provisioning of educator posts.
3. In the creation of the total number of educator posts in a PED by the MEC for Education, the following factors must be taken into account:-
3.1 the provincial education budget,
3.2 sound educational practices,
3.3 job security of educators, and
redress with regard to curriculum needs.
4. The educator post-provisioning model enables the Head of Department to distribute educator posts to institutions on an equitable basis.
5. The Model is based on a weighting principle, taking the following factors into account:-
5.1 school phase
5.2 learning areas
5.3 more than one language medium of instruction
5.4 combined schools
5.5 learners with special needs
5.6 size of the institution
PROCESS OF RATIONALISATION AND REDEPLOYMENT
AIM The primary aim of the process of Rationalisation and Redeployment was to achieve equity in the provisioning of educator posts between institutions within a Province.
OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES Fair and objective treatment of all educators.
Continued employment of educators in education.
Equity in educator post provisioning.
Provide for educators who do not meet the minimum requirements for appointment in education.
Provide for temporary educators and educators seconded between PEDs.
PROCEDURE TO BE FOLLOWED • Determination of post establishment per institution.
• Circuit/District audit.
• Determination of posts in excess and vacant posts.
• Determination of educators in excess.
• Developing profiles of educators in excess and the requirements of vacant posts.
• Developing and publishing a "closed vacancy list" (only Post Level 1 educators declared in excess may apply).
• Receiving of applications and matching per post.
• Submission of ranked candidates to School Governing Bodies (SGB).
• SGB submits recommendation in preferred order.
• Matching of SGB preference with candidate’s preference.
• Transfer of educators.
• Open vacancy list (serving educators and newly qualified teachers may apply).
PROMOTION POSTS Resolution No. 5 of 1998 provides for the accommodation of educators displaced as a result of operational requirements and the criteria for the advertising and filling of educator posts in education.
All promotion post holders declared in excess in terms of the Rationalisation and Redeployment procedure will be dealt with in terms of Resolution No. 5 of 1998.
The following process applies:-
• Promotion post vacancies to be advertised in an open vacancy list (any serving educator may apply) or in a closed vacancy list after consultations.
• Promotion post holders declared in excess must apply for suitable posts.
• Educators in excess must be shortlisted for an interview together with other applicants.
• Successful candidates are appointed.
COMMITTEES ESTABLISHED TO MONITOR THE CO-ORDINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROCESS 1 The Provincial Task Team (PTT) to function within a province.
2 The PTT performs the following functions:
Monitoring the co-ordination and implementation of the rationalisation and redeployment process in a provincial education department.
Promoting redeployment and making recommendations in this regard to the Head of the provincial education department, the IPTT and the ELRC.
Monitoring the establishment and updating of the provincial redeployment list.
Resolving disputes between the parties that may arise and which relate to the general application of this agreement and the model for post provisioning, (i.e. Implementation of the rationalisation and redeployment process).
3 The Inter-Provincial Task Team (IPTT) to function at a national level.
4 The IPTT performs the following functions:
- Monitoring the co-ordination and implementation of the rationalisation and redeployment processes, nationally.
- Promoting redeployment by submitting reports and making recommendations in this regard to the Heads of the provincial education departments, the Director-General of the Department of Education, the Heads of Education Departments Committee, PTTs and the ELRC.
- Monitoring the establishment and updating of provincial redeployment lists.
- Resolving disputes between the parties that may arise and which relate to the general interpretation and application of this agreement and the allocation of educator posts to institutions, (i.e. Implementation of the rationalisation and redeployment process).
5 Representation to these task teams includes teacher unions.
The Department of Education is playing a central role in assisting and guiding the PEDs in the implementation of this process.
PROVINCIAL STATUS REPORTS
EASTERN CAPE
Schools A final closed vacancy list bulletin was released for the 4537 educator posts with 17 March 2000 as the closing date.
1996 educators left the system before the rationalisation and redeployment process started.
List B candidates have not been issued to SGBs for consideration.
The process of matching is an effort to suitably place educators. Colleges of education a)There are 872 college lecturers declared in excess.
b)Some of them have already been deployed, although there are still those that are not willing to relocate hoping to be absorbed within, if no qualifying applicants are received.
Other educators in excess are not applying, deliberately waiting for subject advisory posts to be advertised.
Most of the educators in excess do not qualify for these vacant posts e.g. engineering, computer, etc. Temporary educators Amongst the ±2000 temporary educators most of them are teaching critical subjects.
These educators may have to be appointed permanently to these posts due to lack of qualified educators from those in excess. Open vacancy list An open vacancy list will only be considered after June 2000.
Education Development Centres (EDCs) are being planned, some excess educators may be absorbed.
KWA-ZULU NATAL
Schools a)The numbers of excess educators are relatively low (most of whom are from urban areas), and there are still some vacant posts.
b)The latest statistical data indicates that the following 4 (four) regions no longer have excess educators:
Ladysmith
Port Shepstone
Pietermaritzburg
Ulundi
Regions have submitted lists of the remaining vacant posts from the 1st and 2nd closed vacancy lists.
The Directorate Human Resource Management was to effect placements by the 10 March 2000, and some problems were identified during validation, but it is envisaged that on the 16 March 2000 this process of placement will commence again.
The process of placements started at district level and will continue to regional level.
List B will not be released before completion of the current placement process.
An open vacancy list is to be published by the 31 March 2000.
Educators have temporarily been transferred to some vacant posts for a year with the possibility of absorbing them into these posts if this proves to be possible.
A circular allowing temporary educators to apply for vacancies in a closed vacancy list, if they qualify, and be absorbed permanently will be considered before considering applicants from outside the system.
There are a few classes without educators and others with temporary educators (both in urban and rural areas) that are to be dealt with after completion of the redeployment process. Colleges of education a)There is still a great deal of uncertainty in this sector of education:
number of colleges that are to close down;
decreasing enrollments;
number of educators in excess.
There are 365 educators in excess taken from 1999 statistics (this number could be more).
A closed promotion posts vacancy list is proposed to cater for these 365 college excess educators.
Educators in colleges are encouraged to apply for vacancies.
SGBs tend to favour promoting educators from within the institution than those outside, including lecturers from colleges of education. Technical colleges No major problems are encountered in technical colleges regarding rationalisation and redeployment process.
GAUTENG The GDE is on the final leg of the process. Educators declared in excess are being encouraged to apply for vacancies through a "cluster vacancies process". This is a compulsory process where specified excess educators must make an application (on special forms) for the posts that are to be advertised on the 10th, 11th, and 12th April 2000.
GDE officials will also match educators against requirements of a post and submit to SGBs for consideration.
The province is confident that they will be able to suitably place approximately 80% of their excess educators through this process.
A further vacancy list is being planned, after 01 July 2000, to deal with residual vacancies (individuals promoted) and vacancies arising from attrition.
Some College of Education based educators can be accommodated in offices. Some of these posts may be translated to meet Departmental needs, e.g. development, curriculum redress, strategic intervention, etc.
The province will have to consider a retrenchment tool for the balance not accommodated.
There are approximately 3900 temporary educators in the system. It is envisaged that this position will be normalized by January 2001.
FREE STATE There are 23945 educator posts created by the MEC. These posts exclude office-based posts. There are fewer educators than the number of educator posts mentioned above.
There are temporary educators appointed in some of the educator posts mentioned above whose contracts end at the end of March 2000.
376 excess educators have been absorbed through the closed vacancy list.
Promotional posts have been advertised in the open vacancy list and the closing date thereof is 30 March 2000.
The rationalisation and redeployment process in this province has been confined to post level 1 educator posts only.
The total number of educators in excess as outlined under paragraph 2 on statistics, exclude 321 educators in colleges of education. Such college educators will be utilised to teach matric repeaters.
The contracts of temporary educators in substantive posts have been terminated on 31 December 2000. 63 (sixty-three) of these temporary educators were re-appointed on January 2000. The contracts of these temporary educators were terminated at the end of March 2000.
There are about 164 temporary educators in excess in substantive posts who have been transferred temporarily. The intention is to confirm these educators in the posts.
NORTHERN CAPE The process has gone relatively well in this province to the extent that the province was able to publish an open vacancy list on 6 March 2000. An addendum was released on the 3rd April 2000 containing 2(two) principalship posts to be filled on the 1st August 2000.
The Province has 307 vacant posts, 175 of these are teacher posts and the rest are promotional posts.
There are only 89 educators in excess.
Only 10 colleges of education lecturers would still have to be redeployed.
175 of the 307 posts are currently occupied by temporary educators (most of these posts are for scarce subjects i.e. commerce, sciences and maths) up till the end of June 2000. The intention is to have these posts filled by at the latest 1 July 2000.
NORTHERN PROVINCE The representatives of the province indicated that they are at least 1 year behind schedule, and are currently redeploying excess educators into the 1728 posts which have been advertised in the closed vacancy list. (post level 1 posts). These excesses are in terms of 1998 statistics.
A second closed vacancy list will be made available to School Governing Bodies to start the selection process at the end of March.
No promotion posts (except principalship posts) have been advertised or filled. The process will only receive attention after the excess educators have been dealt with.
The approximately 350 college of Education educators on post level 2 and above that are in excess have been advised to apply for advertised vacant posts, as it would not be possible to accommodate them in administrative vacancies. The province also has an excess of administrative personnel. In total there are approximately 1500 college based educators that may have to be accommodated upon conclusion of the incorporation process.
The province has approximately 2212 temporary educators whose services may be terminated as part of the redeployment process.
The advertising of an open vacancy list will only be possible after the finalisation of the second closed vacancy list at the end of April 2000. An open vacancy list will only be released during July 2000.
482 Posts of Principal have been advertised in an open vacancy list, which are in the process of being filled. No other steps have as yet been taken to redeploy educators other than through a closed vacancy list. In order to speed-up the process, it was suggested that all regions should participate in order to match the profiles of excesses with that of the vacancies.
WESTERN CAPE The province is progressing well and is in the final stages of redeploying the excess educators.
383 Excess educators who were not redeployed at the end of 1999 were carried over to 2000.
In November 1999 staff establishments in respect of 2000 were issued to schools, and 777 educators were reflected as in excess, which, together with the excess carried over from 1999, gives 1160 excess educators for the beginning of 2000.
There does not seem to be a need for another vacancy list for promotion posts.
Vacancy list No. 1 of 2000 was published in which 1535 posts were advertised, of which 331 were promotion posts. It will not be possible to accommodate all excess educators, as they do not fit the requirements of the posts.
A total of 36 College lecturers are in excess, which brings the total number of educators in promotion posts who are in excess to 160. 18 Educators are in excess at a College that is closing down. They may be offered the VSP. All those in excess have been instructed to apply for vacancies.
2050 Temporary educators are currently in the system in substantive posts which can be permanently filled. These educators are all appointed on a contract basis. Most of them (on the B list) have applied for posts.
The province does not plan to advertise any vacancies in an open vacancy list during this current round.
NORTH WEST (a) Post Level 1 posts that became vacant after filling of promotion posts are presently being filled through compulsory redeployment, absorption or voluntary redeployment.
(b) The province is using last year’s statistics and is currently redeploying the 6531 excess educators into vacant posts.
c)735 Post Level 1 (PL1) posts were advertised in a closed vacancy list for redeployment and 400 PL1 (permanent relief staff) posts were advertised in a closed vacancy list.
d)The department has 1066 educators, appointed prior to 1/7/96, who are still employed in a temporary capacity due to the fact that they are not professionally qualified. They will remain employed in a temporary capacity.
e)An open vacancy list will be advertised by 10 April 2000 for scarce subjects.
MPUMALANGA ±80% of the redeployment has been done. Many educators received offers by the end of last year. Many also received more than one offer. A team has been sent out to assist educators and expedite the process. (e.g. to make a choice and to approach those who did not receive offers and try to place them.
Almost all principal posts are filled. Of the 2703 HOD posts, 2694 have been filled in terms of the 1996 process. 737 Deputy Principal posts are filled and the model allows for 748. 11 Deputy Principal posts are still vacant.
87 lecturers from colleges of education have been redeployed. Temporary educators will be accommodated in permanent posts upon completion of this process.
An open vacancy list for post level 1 educators will be advertised after 30 June 2000.
There is no need for a further closed vacancy list.
TERMINATION OF THE PROCESS BY 30 JUNE 2000 All provinces, except Northern Province, support the termination of the process by 30 June 2000
These eight (8) provincial education departments are of the view that they will be in a position to finalise within this period.
Northern Province Education Department suggests 31 December 2000 as the termination date.
All nine (9) provinces are of the view that Resolution No. 5 of 1998 is adequate in dealing with the process of:
transfer of serving educators in terms of operational requirements; and
the advertising and filling of educator posts;
beyond June 2000.
WAY FORWARD There is an urgent request to put in place a retrenchment tool together with relevant criteria.
The VSP should be used as an exit tool for educators that cannot be redeployed. The VSP should not be withdrawn until such time a retrenchment tool is in place.
Provincial Education Departments are currently using the following processes to accommodate excess educators:
Matching the profile of educators in excess against the requirements of vacant posts and making offers to affect educators in consultation with School Governing Bodies.
The utilisation of the provisions of the EEA, 1998 (as amended by the Education Laws Amendment Act, 1999). The Act enables the employer to transfer an educator, for a temporary period, to a post where the educator’s services are required, without the recommendation of the SGBs.
The creation and appointment of educators to a pool of relief teachers.
An investigation into absorbing these educators into vacant administrative posts.
Provincial Education Departments are encouraged to reduce the number of temporary educators in the system who are occupying substantive posts. This is to be achieved by either redeploying suitable excess educators or to confirm them in the posts if there are no suitable excess educators available.
Provincial Education Departments should be encouraged to release open vacancy lists in order to fill, on a permanent basis, vacant scarce subject posts, e.g. Eastern Cape requires approximately 600 educators for maths, science, commerce, etc. for grade 12 classes.
National adverts should be placed to attract newly qualified educators to these critical posts. Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal have already done this and the response seems to be positive.
Provincial Education Departments are taking action, in terms of Resolution 6, against educators who refuse to participate in the process.
Very firm action should be taken against all levels of management who deliberately impede the process and commit fraud, e.g. school principals who inflate pupil enrollment to retain teachers, use this process to discipline teachers, etc.
The process of incorporation of colleges of education must be fast tracked and educators not absorbed must be accommodated. In this regard Provincial Education Departments should consider a closed vacancy list for level 2 posts.
Some Provincial Education Departments are establishing Education Development Centres (EDCs) to support schools. It is hoped that a number of college of education excess educators will be accommodated as well as excess promotion post holders.
Finalise the Post Provisioning Model together with national guidelines on promotion post norms.
SOME DIFFICULTIES School Governing Bodies:
Lack of capacity;
Refusal to co-operate;
Prefer their current temporary educators to excess educators; and
Refusal to accept educators from another community ("child of the soil").
Poor planning particularly in the creation of promotion posts.
The administrative difficulties in managing large volumes of applications for promotion posts (Kwa-Zulu Natal received approximately 1 million applications for 9000 posts).
Finding educators to fill vacant scarce subject posts both at level 1 & 2.
Personal circumstances of some educators, making them un-redeployable.
Refusal of educators to relocate to rural areas.
The new admission policy had the result of declaring a number of educators in excess at the primary school phase (approximately 650 in Western Cape).
The absence of effective and functioning IT systems in a few provinces.
POLICY CONSIDERATIONS ARISING FROM THIS EXERCISE Regrading of institutions and the manner in which we deal with a principal who is displaced as a result of upgrading or downgrading of the institution.
Displaced educators due to operational requirements – how long do we carry them in excess of an institution’s establishment.
Determine national promotion post norms.
RATIONALISATION AND REDEPLOYMENT IN EDUCATION:- BENEFITS 1. It helped to fast tract the process of data capturing and highlighted the need for accurate, relevant and up to date statistics.
2. Built capacity at all levels of the organisation.
3. Developed a closer working relationship between provincial education departments and with Department of Education.
4. Established a firm working relationship between the employer at various levels and the unions on dealing with matters of operational requirements.
5. Put in place, for the first time, a uniform post-provisioning model for the country as a whole.
6. Put in place equitable staff establishments between institutions within a province. The model takes into account the creation of a number of promotion posts that never existed in the past, resulting in effective management of institutions. This exercise resulted in equitable redistribution of human resources to underprivileged communities. It led to the creation and appointment of management personnel at previously disadvantaged schools.
7. Heightened the need for curriculum redress. Provinces were required to reserve a percent of their total posts in order to make Ad-Hoc allocations to certain schools in the promotion of specific subjects.
8. Gauteng Department of Education has reached a point where the majority of its excess educators have been suitably accommodated and its personnel are equitably distributed. The education department is also beginning to show signs of a saving in terms of its budget. Such funds can now be re-directed to resourcing and other urgent needs in education within the province.
9. In terms of a recent audit in Western Cape it was established that the vast majority of its institutions have right sized and are operating either with the correct number of personnel or have vacant posts.
10. It must be remembered that a substantial number of excess educators in the provinces will be absorbed during the second phase of filling promotions posts. Educators at post level 1, declared in excess, were held against vacant promotion posts at the same institution.
11. In order to minimise the disruption to curriculum delivery during the 3rd term, provinces were advised to develop contingency plans e.g. the developing of alternate timetables.
12. Created an opportunity for Provincial Education Departments to take steps, subject to the LRA and resolution No 6 of 1998, against educators who refuse to participate in the redeployment process.
13. The use of Voluntary Severance Package for educators was more focused in the sense that identified educators could be granted the VSP. It is noted that the granting of VSPs may not result in a saving for the current financial year, but it will be of benefit to the province over a longer period.
14 There is a need to broaden the discussion within Education as a sector. From recent information gathered through the Skills Audit process it is clear that some provincial education departments are under staffed in terms of administrative personnel. We should investigate the possibility of re-assigning excess educators to these posts.
15 It helped to "exorcise" the "ghost teachers" from the system.
16 Dhaya Pillay, acting Judge, IMMSA panelist, CCMA panelist, chairperson of the Essential Services Committee and chairperson of the PTT in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, points to the following lessons in an article published in the Business Day, 2 July 1999:-
• Higher levels of co-operation between the unions and the departments of education in the pursuit of addressing a mutual problem.
• The process was entirely transparent and there was a regular flow of information between the parties.
• Mutual accountability was the norm, managers had to account for their actions and/or non-action and unions had to act consistently with resolution 6, however hard a pill it was for their members to swallow.
• The process also made possible the building of a sustainable organisation. She concludes by stating "the lessons in dispute prevention and the building of organisation at district and regional levels can provide the foundation for substantive reconstruction and development work. We must not lose sight of the positive spin-offs from what is a painful process for educators".