1. Teaching staff establishments for 2018
1.1 The 2018 teaching staff establishments for special public schools have been determined in terms of the revised post-provisioning norms approved by the Heads of Education Committee in 2007 and in terms of the recommended norms of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) agreed upon in 2007 with the teacher unions and governing body associations.
1.2 These teaching staff establishments will be published on the Central Education Management Information System (CEMIS) under the folder Administration (Establishments) on 31 August 2017.

2. Measures (broad principles)
2.1 Post structure

The post structure and descriptions contained in Personnel Administration Measures (PAM) as promulgated by the Minister of Basic Education in Government Gazette No. 39684 dated 12 February 2016 are applicable to teaching staff establishments.

2.2 School grading

Schools are graded in accordance with the Personnel Administration Measures (PAM) as promulgated by the Minister of Basic Education in Government Gazette No. 39684 dated 12 February 2016.

2.3 Expiry of posts on 31 December 2017

In terms of the measures of the Revised Post Distribution Model, public ordinary schools and public special schools must be issued with their annual teaching staff establishments by 30 September of the preceding year. Thus, for the 2017 academic year, all teaching staff establishments issued to public ordinary and special public schools will expire on 31 December 2017.


3. Filling of advertised posts
3.1 All posts that have already been advertised on a WCED vacancy list may be filled permanently, provided that those posts appear on the 2018 staff establishment.
3.2 Should an advertised post not appear on the 2018 staff establishment, the school will not be entitled to that post and such a post will be regarded as erroneously advertised.
3.3 The stipulation that an advertised post (particularly a promotion post) may be filled only if it does not create an additional excess teacher remains in place.
3.4 Should the school principal and the governing body be of the opinion that the post description of the advertised post no longer meets the curriculum needs of the school, they may request the WCED to regard the post as erroneously advertised. A detailed explanation, signed by both the principal and the chairperson of the governing body, must accompany such a request.
3.5 To ensure stability in 2018, the WCED envisages using the conversion process to fill Post Level 1 posts for appointment on 01 January 2018. Where posts have been captured for advertising on Vacancy List 02/2017 and the school has identified a suitable teacher who can be converted from temporary to permanent status, the advertisement can be removed from the draft vacancy list.

4. Filling of vacant substantive teacher posts (based on teaching staff establishments of 31 August 2017)
4.1 The Department is still experiencing financial constraints on the Compensation of Employees (CoE) budgets for the 2017/2018 to 2019/2020 medium-term expenditure frameworks. One of the strategies explored in 2017 was to reduce the impact on CoE expenditure by effectively manage the utilisation of excess teachers, which included the lateral transfer of teachers between schools with vacancies and utilising excess teachers where curriculum challenges were experienced.
4.2 The department will again implement measures and monitor closely the effective management and utilisation of excess teachers in 2018. The following actions will be taken within the timeframes identified:

Intervention activities Timeframe
All teachers who cannot be absorbed on the 2018 teaching staff establishments for 2018 are formally declared in excess. 01–30 September 2017
Districts identify suitable posts for teachers declared in excess for placement in 2018 and consult principals/governing bodies on the placement of excess teachers. Formal placement letters are to be issued to teachers who can be matched and placed against vacant substantive posts for 2018. 01–31 October 2017
Districts provide list of "unplaceable" excess teachers to Head Office for cross-district placements. 31 October 2017
Head Office makes recommendations to districts for cross-district placements. 01–30 November 2017
Formal placement letters issued to teachers who can be matched and placed against vacant substantive posts for 2018. 01–30 November 2017
Excess teachers who cannot be matched and placed must not form part of the school’s timetable for 2018. 10 December 2017
In the event that schools require additional teachers due to growth in learner numbers, districts will consult principals/governing bodies on the placement of excess teachers. Formal placement letters will be issued to teachers who can be matched and placed. 15 January 2018
4.3 Teachers who have already been declared in excess, based on previous teaching staff establishments and in accordance with previous processes, and who are still in excess, retain their in-excess status. These teachers will be dealt with in terms of the prevailing collective agreements of the ELRC.
4.4 Permanently appointed teachers must be identified as in excess in terms of Collective Agreement 4/2016 of the ELRC.
4.5 Efforts to place excess teachers will continue during the 2018 academic year in the event that teachers leave the services of the WCED and the excess teacher profile meets the curriculum needs of the vacant teacher post(s).
4.6 Appointment of new entrants

Another strategy to curb costs on the CoE budget is to appoint new entrants to the education profession in the WCED instead of teachers who are already remunerated at high salaries. In so doing, we will also make provision for new teachers to enter the employ of the WCED.

A new-entrant teacher is defined as a final-year student and/or any suitably qualified teacher who graduated in the past three years and who has never been employed by the state. This group includes Funza Lushaka bursary holders.

At the same time, we acknowledge that schools should have the ultimate choice to recruit the best person for their school. In order to ensure that we balance the different interests, if principals and governing bodies have strong objections to the appointment of such new entrants at their schools, they are invited to approach the Head of Education directly in writing (copying the relevant District Director) and await the outcome of their petition. Such petitions should be submitted at least two weeks before the teacher is to assume duty to allow for proper consideration of each case.

4.7 Other suitably qualified teachers

Only qualified teachers with an REQV 13 or higher qualification may be considered for vacant substantive teacher posts. This office will consider the employment of other teachers only if no qualified teachers can be identified from the aforementioned categories.


5. Enquiries

Kindly address all enquiries pertaining to this circular (measures, etc.) to the relevant circuit manager.


6. General

Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all teachers and governing body members.



SIGNED: BK SCHREUDER
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2017:08:31

Government Gazette No. 39684  (size: 1 150 KB)