President Zuma says government plans won't compromise teacher's rights

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

President Jacob Zuma says the ANC decision to declare education an essential service will not take away the Constitutional rights of teachers, such as the right to strike.

But, he says by doing so government wants the education sector and society as a whole to take education more seriously.

The ANC proposal has been met with some resistance, particularly from teacher union Sadtu, which says it will infringe on members constitutional rights.

President Zuma says government will establish a Presidential Remuneration Commission to investigate the appropriateness of the salaries and conditions of service provided by the State to all its employees and teachers will be the first priority.

"In elevating education to it's rightful place we want to see an improvement in the quality of learning and teaching and the management of schools, we want to see an improvement in attitudes, posture and outcomes" Zuma said.