Several East London schools remain closed amid teacher shortage

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 Several East London schools remain closed on Friday while others which have acute teacher shortages continue to operate without their temporary teachers.

As many as 22 schools in the East London district are affected by teacher shortages and the non-payment of temporary teachers.

Several school governing bodies have decided that the schools can no longer pay the temporary teachers from school funds.

It's understood that the Bhisho Education Department owes schools and temporary teachers millions of rand in outstanding payment.

One source told Algoa FM News that the district requested 179 temporary teachers but the Eastern Cape Education Department only appointed 105.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape says the provincial Education Department must come clean about whether it cannot pay temporary teachers because it has run out of money.

DA MPL, Edmund van Vuuren, has accused the Department of playing for time until after the end of the financial year on February 28th before it pays temporary teachers in 19 out of the 23 districts in the province.

He says a total of 2 202 temporary teachers were appointed until the end of March, but teachers in just four districts have been paid.

Van Vuuren says the department's excuse is that Treasury is not authorising payment because "documents that were requested from temporary teachers are incomplete".