Question NW163 to the Minister of Basic Education
28 February 2018 - NW163
Tshwaku, Mr M to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1)Whether there are any teaching vacancies in KwaZulu-Natal, if so, what are the details of the vacancies; (2) whether a certain person (name furnished) applied for a job as a teacher in KwaZulu-Natal; if so, on what basis was the specified person rejected for the vacancies applied for; (3) on what basis are the Funza Lushaka bursary holders selected; (4) whether Funza Lushaka bursary holders are prioritised for employment; if so, on what basis?
Reply:
1. The information requested is currently not available. It has, accordingly, been requested from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and it will be provided as soon as it is obtained.
2. The information requested is currently not available. It has, accordingly, been requested from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and it will be provided as soon as it is obtained.
3. The Funza Lushaka Bursary Prpogramme is a merit bursary and it aims to only fund 25% of students enrolled at public Higher Education Institutions for recognised Initial Teacher Education programmes, namely the Bachelors in Education (B Ed) or the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The Department of Basic Education and the Basic Education Sector uses the programme to address critical teacher shortages in specified subject areas and school phases. The general criteria for award of the bursary are as follows:
a) The applicant must be a South African citizen;
b) The applicant must be accepted into an approved B Ed degree or PGCE programme to specialise in two or more of the priority areas;
c) The applicant should demonstrate good academic ability;
d) The applicant must show commitment to a teaching career, which includes: interest in working with young people; enthusiasm for a professional career in teaching; readiness to face and surmount difficult challenges and personal integrity; and
e) The applicant must be committed to teach in any school to which a student may be placed by a Provincial Education Department.
4. The Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme is intended to address specific teacher demand and supply issues in the Basic Education Sector. The Programme therefore carries a service obligation. That is, upon graduation the bursars should serve the Basic Education Sector for an equal number of years to their bursary assisted study period. As a result a Funza Lushaka Bursary holder is required to sign a bursary contract that binds them to the service obligation. As part of the contract, Funza Lushaka Bursary recipients have to be placed by a Provincial Education Department to teach in a public school in which a teacher is needed. The contract further stipulates that the bursary holder is obliged to take up placement immediately on completion of the initial teaching qualification. To ensure that this contractual obligation is realised without delay, the Funza Lushaka Bursary holders are prioritised for employment.