BASIC Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said Grade R practitioners will be formally integrated into the basic education system as educators once the provisions of Grade R in the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act commenced.
Gwarube said those practitioners who possess the necessary qualifications to teach in the foundation phase will be eligible for appointment into vacant substantive posts as fully recognised educators.
“These appointments will be made through open advertisement, absorption, or conversion, as guided by the terms set out in Collective Agreement 2 of 2024,” she said.
Gwarube was responding to parliamentary questions from IFP MP Siphosethu Ngcobo.
She said transitional measures were currently being developed in consultation with the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) and the Heads of Education Departments Committee (Hedcom) for qualifying Grade R teachers or practitioners.
“These measures aim to support unqualified and underqualified practitioners in upgrading their qualifications within a limited timeframe. Practitioners who fail to meet the qualification requirements within the specified period may face the termination of their services.”
She indicated that unqualified and underqualified practitioners would be appointed on fixed-term contracts while pursuing their qualifications in order to allow them an opportunity to remain within the system while upgrading their credentials.
“The final terms of this transition, including the timeframe for upgrading and the appointment status of unqualified and underqualified practitioners, will be confirmed once discussions at the ELRC and Hedcom are finalised.”
Gwarube stated that there were currently 12 462 unqualified and underqualified Grade R practitioners appointed in public schools.
“These practitioners receive stipends and are not formally employed under the same conditions of service as educators.
“However, educators who possess the required qualifications to teach Grade R and are already in teaching roles but not yet absorbed into permanent posts will be translated accordingly into available posts, subject to the availability of vacant posts.”
“The number of practitioners to be absorbed will also be informed by the total number of Grade R learners enrolled in the system and the Post Provisioning Norms applicable at the time.”
However, Gwarube indicated that Grade R posts were currently not part of the formal post provisioning model used to determine the post establishments of public schools.
They were allocated to Grade R classes based on the number of Grade R classes created at a public school outside the formal post-provisioning norm process.
“It is planned that Grade R posts will be formally incorporated into the post-provisioning model for the 2026 post-establishment cycle. This will allow Grade R posts to be officially recognised as part of a public school’s formal teaching posts,” she said.
“The shift from stipends to educator conditions of service will ensure that Grade R practitioners are fully integrated into the teaching profession with access to the rights and benefits afforded to other educators.”
Speaking at the release of the 2024 matric results on Monday, Gwarube said her department would embark on an urgent strategic reorientation of the basic education system towards strengthening foundational learning.
“The systemic interventions that we will undertake in this regard include expanding access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) for learners before they enter the basic education system and improving the quality of teaching and learning in the foundation phase,” she said.
Cape Times