Teacher strike!

So it looks as though SADTU (South African Democratic Teachers Union) may go on strike starting Wednesday of this week! This seems to be striking season in the country, as many civic workers have been going on strike for various reasons and for various lengths of time. Apparently a similar teacher strike happened this time of year in 2007 and lasted for over a month... yikes.

As always, it's for more money. The union is asking for an 8% salary increase as well as a R1000 housing stipend, but apparently the Department of Education is only offering a 6% increase and a R600 housing stipend, and if they do not give in to the demands of sadtu by tuesday.... no more school for us! Needless to say I think it's absolutely absurd that the teachers salary increase would rank as more important than children getting an education, but it is not even a little bit surprising given the attitude of the educators here and the failing system of education. Here is a brief article I found on allafrica.com on the impending strike.

Naturally this is happening right as Seniors are preparing to write their final "matric" exams, a test required for those who wish to complete high school and go on to any higher education. This is also one of the hot topics of the failing education system here, seeing as the pass rate is something like 35%. What a better way to fix this than to strike and demand more money... duh!

So what does it mean for me if a strike does occur? We have been reminded over and over again that as PCVs we are not allowed to hold any sort of classes or meetings at the school during a strike, as picketing, protests, and riots are not an uncommon sight during strikes here. I supposed I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get there... I'll keep you all posted as the situation progresses!

In other news, the PCVs in the Kuruman area are getting together this weekend for a little one-year anniversary celebration, which should be a great time! Monday is Women's Day, which is a national holiday that we get off school, so it should be a nice little long weekend in preparation for our possibly even longer strike holiday....