Ramaphosa tells Sadtu congress that early child development teachers should earn more money

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for  early childhood development (ECD) teachers to no longer earn between R5,000 and R7,000 a month.

Ramaphosa was giving a keynote address at the 9th national congress of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) which is currently under way at the Nasrec Conference Centre, south of Johannesburg. More than 1,500 delegates from the tripartite alliance and Sadtu members are attending the congress. 

“If you pay peanuts you get monkeys. Education is the real engine that we should utilise and we need to commit ourselves that the kids in South Africa receive quality education," Ramaphosa said on Wednesday. "You are best placed to ensure that young people are educated.  Government has moved ECD from social development to the engine room of our country in education.” 

Ramaphosa said too many teachers were overburdened and under-resourced and it was the government’s duty to make conditions better for teachers and to make schools safer.

“Sadtu must become more active in the ECD field and also help government develop programmes to make sure more children have quality education from their early stages. Our teachers are the economic player and they need to make sure that a learner is stimulated  enough to become a participant in the country’s economy,” Ramaphosa said.