23 Jan 2017

Chief education officer for Good Hope Sub-district Council has called on teachers not to lose hope as ways to try and address their welfare including overtime are been looked into.

Ms Matlhape said a committee, to which she is a member, to look at the teaching profession in its entirety has been established.

She was reacting to a plea by teachers’ representatives who complained that the 10 per cent awarded to them as overtime was not equal to the work they put in during a meeting addressed by Area MP, Dr Alfred Madigele in Mmathethe this week.

According to Ms Matlhape, the 10 per cent, which has been awarded as overtime across the entire public service was government’s gesture to appreciate sterling work put in by employees.

She said the hamstrung economy, which is still in the woods places limitation government not to go beyond the 10 per cent.

For her part, assistant council secretary for Good Hope Sub-district, Ms Tatolo Letshwiti, agreed there was need for maintenance for offices and staff housing throughout the subdistrict.

She informed the meeting that the council leadership has solicited funds from headquarters to carry out maintenance.

Ms Letshwiti said however that they may not necessarily cover all facilities due to dire financial situation and other competing needs.

She said also the council will not be able to augment neither classrooms nor teachers houses as per the request by some schools due to budgetary constraints. BOPA