The Education Labour Relations Council has accomplished a major feat for the public education system and educators in particular, through the finalisation of Collective Agreement No. 2 of 2014: Quality Management System (QMS) for School-Based educators.
The Agreement not only gives effect to the mandate of the Council to maintain labour peace in the public education sector, but also seeks to fulfil the vision of the National Development Plan on accountability within the system:
“… schools need to be well run by skilled and dedicated principals who foster a vibrant but disciplined environment that is conducive to learning. By 2030, the schooling system is characterised by learners and teachers who are highly
motivated; principals are effective managers who provide administrative and curriculum leadership … schools are accountable to parents; committed and professional teachers have good knowledge of the subjects they teach; schools
and teachers are supported by knowledgeable district officials.”
The purpose of Collective Agreement No. 2 of 2014 is to provide a standardised framework for employee performance for educators. The aim of the Agreement is also to improve accountability levels in schools.
The QMS is a performance management system for school-based educators designed to evaluate the performance levels of individuals in order to achieve high levels of school performance.
The QMS measures the performance of educators in line with their respective roles and responsibilities and provides a basis for decisions and rewards, incentives and other salary related benefits for the applicable year.
One of the guiding principles of the Agreement is that it considers the fact that schools are not the same and operate at different levels of performance.
The Agreement ultimately seeks to strengthen all stakeholder initiatives to improve the quality of learning and teaching in public schools, while appreciating and rewarding the tireless efforts of educators to realise this ideal and to simultaneously restore the image of the teaching profession as noble and revered.
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Issued by: The Education Labour Relations Council
09 September 2019
For further enquires please contact the ELRC Media Research & Media Manager on (012) 663-7446 / 083 384 7747 or email: BerniceL@elrc.org.za
