Sibongile Mashaba and Tebogo Monama

Sibongile Mashaba and Tebogo Monama

The Gauteng education department will meet with Cosas next Tuesday to discuss the students organisation's pass-one-pass-all demand, if matric trial exams are not postponed.

This follows a threat by Gauteng's Cosas to boycott classes on Friday if there was no response from the department of education.

Cosas has also labelled the education recovery plan a failure, because teachers participating in the programme have threatened to stay away from the classes in support of their leaders who will appear in court for charges relating to the public sector strike.

"Pupils are willing to stay at home. The absence of teachers will negatively affect the recovery plan," said Cosas' Gauteng chairman Percy Ntsolo.

Gauteng education department spokesman Kate Bapela said: "We cannot afford to fail our pupils. When pupils enter the exam room they must be confident that they will pass."

She said the department will deal with teachers who did not report for duty. "We will deduct from teachers' salaries who don't report for duty unless they provide proof that they were not protesting at the cases of the Sadtu leaders," said Bapela.