A reply to a parliamentary question revealed that 20 400 Education and School assistants will be employed from 1 December 2020 to end of the current financial year as part of the Presidential Employment Initiative Programme (PEIP) in the Western Cape. The DA in the WC calls on national goverment to extend the PEIP for greater impact of recovery plans.
MPP Lorraine Botha says: “The R814 million allocated to the programme in the WC will allow for; in-classroom, administrative, cleaning, and maintenance assistance at public and special schools in the province. This not only creates meaningful support at schools under the new normal but provides income opportunities to many.”
Each school in the province will be allocated a minimum of 2 assistants. Allocation will further be prioritised according to learner-teacher ratios and in accordance with the resourcing under the quintile system.
MPP Botha adds: “Due to the success of WCED funded Classroom Assistant Initiative the DA called for other provinces to follow suit. The WCED initiative, which availed 1200 assistants until October 2020 aimed to ensure optimal functioning and learning at public schools, where learners were expected to return in the rotational-attendance approach.
I will write to the national Minister of Education on the prospects of expanding the programme into the new financial year to ensure ongoing stability in the education system and longer termed employment opportunities for programme beneficiaries.”
The Covid-19 pandemic has completely changed the way in which schools operate. We have adapted our oversight focus accordingly to ensure we monitor the continued success of teaching and learning in our province.
