How proposed changes to the education bill target governing bodies
There’s a proposal to have school principals, deputy principals and department heads appointed by provincial officials
Proposals in the Draft Education Laws Amendment Bill to clip the wings of school governing bodies in appointing senior staff are aimed at protecting schools from "jobs for cash" practices exposed in 2014, the Department of Basic Education says. The public comment period for the bill closes on Friday. One of its most controversial provisions is a proposal to revoke the power of school governing bodies to appoint principals, deputy principals and heads of department, and give it to provincial education departments instead. While critics say the proposed change will make the appointment process opaque and undermines parents’ rights to have a say in the education of their children, the department maintains it is in the best interest of schools. "There is an urgent need to strengthen our recruitment process, and this includes … the findings and recommendations of the ministerial task team on [the] ‘Jobs for Sale’ [scandal]," said Troy Martens, spokeswoman of Basic Education Minister Angi...
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