Teacher union slams test disruption

THE provincial South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) has distanced itself from recent disruptions aimed at preventing pupils from writing systemic tests.

This comes after pupils were allegedly prevented from writing the tests at Injongo Primary School in Khayelitsha. Teachers protested outside the entrances of Uxolo High and Sivuyiseni Primary in Khayelitsha yesterday.

Sadtu provincial secretary Jonovan Rustin said: “We condemn the use of violence in the strongest terms. However, we make no secret of the fact that we are driving the campaign aimed at drawing the attention of WCED (Western Cape Education Department) to stop administering these systemic tests.”

Rustin said the department has failed to convince them of the supposed benefits of the tests – the improvement of education results in the 
Western Cape.

“Since the inception of these tests in 2002, the 
province has not realised an improvement in Grade 12 results. Instead, we have been surpassed by other provinces.

“We also firmly believe that WCED has collected enough data over a period of 13 years to inform it of the challenges within the education system in the province,” he said.

According to Rustin, the tests were nothing more than “just another money-making scheme” aimed at enriching a few individuals with no intention of improving education output, especially in working-class communities.

The union’s national spokesperson, Nomusa Cembi, said each province had their backing.

“We are fully behind them in an effort to scrap these tests. We are boycotting them throughout the country so the Education Department can see we do not want them,” she said.

Congress of South African Students (Cosas) provincial chairperson Michael Mayalo has also thrown his weight behind Cembi’s call, saying they were mobilising students to boycott the tests.

“We will make sure the department stops these tests. We do not want pupils to write these useless tests.

“They serve no purpose in the development of their education,” he said.

Mayalo said pupils themselves have said there was no need for systemic tests.

“This is a disaster waiting to happen. How can pupils be forced to do something against their will.

“This shows it is going to take many years before our education system can improve,” he said.

The WCED has called on teachers to stop boycotting systemic tests.

WCED spokesperson Paddy Attwell said: “The union has claimed that pupils are overtested and that the tests have had ‘no developmental aspect’, and also that the WCED uses the tests to ‘blame teachers’.

“The aim of the tests is definitely not to ‘blame’ teachers. We use the results to inform continued professional development, which is in the interests of all teachers.”

michael.nkalane@inl.co.za