NEW DISPENSATION FOR TEACHING PROFESSION

By Cindy Foca and Heins Worst

   

FROM LEFT: Mr Thulas Nxesi (CTU - SADTU), Mr Chris Klopper (CTU - SAOU), Mr Dhaya Govender (ELRC) and Mr Firoz Patel (DoE)

Nine months of intense deliberation, discussion and negotiations, has finally yielded results towards improving teaching and learning outcomes in public education.

Collective Agreement No 1 and 2 of 2008 on the “Framework for the Establishment of an Occupation Specific Dispensation” (OSD) for educators in the Public Education, was signed on the 3rd of April 2008.

The OSD will ensure a fair, equitable and competitive remuneration structure for identified categories of employees, which would provide for longer salary bands and substantial overlaps between salary levels to facilitate adequate salary progression to employees who choose to remain in the classroom instead of aspiring to move into supervisory or management posts.

With the OSD Agreement, a proper career pathing model that does not entail automatic increases but a forward looking plan to systematically increase salaries after pre-determined periods based on specific criteria such as performance, qualifications, competencies, scope of work and experience; would be put in place. 

One of the areas that will be covered by the OSD will be the provision for dual career paths in terms of which professionals and specialists can progress to levels where they earn salaries that are equal to/or higher than that of managers without moving into management/supervisory posts. This would then ensure that good educators could be retained in the classroom. When the Minister of Education signed the agreement she said ”The Agreement is a milestone for public education. It sets out the parameters for quality education and incentives for improvement. Educators can now concentrate on the job at hand. There is no room for mediocrity in the teaching profession.”

The OSD introduces a salary progression of 3% every two years based on "satisfactory performance" and the first payment will be made in July 2010.

Educators who perform at the level of "good" or "outstanding" will progress faster towards their maximum salary. These educators are eligible for an accelerated salary progression or adjustment of an additional 3% (“good performance") and an additional 6% ("outstanding performance") every second year. The first payment for good and outstanding performances will be made in July 2011.

The introduction of the OSD for educators would ensure that no educator would receive a salary (notch or package) that is less that what s/he received on 31 December 2007 prior to the implementation of the Agreement. 

The salaries of educators will be upwardly adjusted based on the salary notches that applied on 1 July 2007 and then translated to the new OSD salary scales. The new OSD salary scales will be backdated to 1 January 2008.

A newly qualified educator entering the profession will earn R 115,276 per annum as compared to R107, 700 per annum prior to the implementation of the OSD.

In ensuring the successful facilitation of the implementation of Collective Agreement 1 and 2 of 2008, Five Task Teams and a Co-ordinating Committee was established with the following terms of reference:

Task Team 1 is charged with finalising key aspects of the agreement relating to EMS school-based and EMS office-based staff. Task Team 2 will oversee aspects of the implementation of the Collective Agreement 1 and 2 of 2008.

Task Team 3 will oversee aspects of the agreement relating to specialist educators; and evaluation, as well as amendments that may be required in other collective agreements.

Task Team 4 will be required to deal with the formal recognition of experience; requirements for appointments, upgrading and promotions; and a set of miscellaneous issues relating to the above. Task Team 5’s mandate relates to the upskilling of educators and research.

The Coordinating Committee will drive the implementation process of Collective Agreements 1 and 2 of 2008. 

The committee’s mandate also relates to the planning of the study research visits and OSD for educator specialists (psychologist and therapist).

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Press release

Embargo 3 April 3 pm

3 April 2008

 

Minister Pandor signs OSD agreement for educators

 

Today the Minister of Education and the teacher unions, SADTU and SAOU, signed a collective agreement, "Framework for the Establishment of an Occupation Specific Dispensation" (OSD) for educators in the Public Education.

 

Signing the OSD agreement for educators today, Minister Pandor said: "We congratulate all role players and especially thank the negotiators for their tireless efforts in crafting an agreement, the significance of which will be felt long after today."

 

It has taken nine months of intense deliberation, discussion, and negotiations.

 

The new OSD salary scales will be backdated to 1 January 2008.

 

The OSD introduces a salary progression of 3% every two years based on "satisfactory performance" and the first payment will be made in July 2010.

 

Educators who perform at the level of "good" or "outstanding" will progress faster towards their maximum salary. These educators are eligible for an accelerated salary progression or adjustment of an additional 3% ('good performance") and an additional 6% ("outstanding performance") every second year. The first payment for good and outstanding performances will be made in July 2011.

 

They will also be able to develop a career path for themselves without looking to a promotion or an elevation to an office-based post.

The Minister said:

 

"The OSD will award teachers for "good" and "outstanding" performance. Performance evaluation will enhance the quality of education provided in our schools and learner achievement is a vital component of that evaluation. Under and unqualified educators will also be given opportunities to upgrade their qualifications."

 

The OSD agreement introduces the Education Management Service for school-based managers (Principals and Deputy Principals) and office-based educators. In future, all Principals and their Deputies must have performance agreements.

 

The Minister said:

 

"The Agreement is a milestone for public education. It sets out the parameters for quality education and the incentives for improvement. Educators can now concentrate on the job at hand. There is no room for mediocrity in the teaching profession."

 

Note for editors

1.      No educator will receive a salary (notch or package) that is  less than what he/she

         received on 31 December 2007 prior to  the implementation of  the OSD.

2.      The salaries of educators will be upwardly adjusted based on  the salary notches that

         applied on 1 July 2007 and then  translated to the new OSD salary scales. This means

         that  educators that will receive not less than 4%. The increases  range from 4% to

         9.9%.

3.      A newly qualified educator entering the profession will earn  R115,276 per annum as

        compared to R107,700 per annum  prior to the implementation of the OSD

        Issued by the Ministry of Education

 

Please refer to Collective Agreements for the documents