The Democratic Alliance in Limpopo calls on Limpopo MEC for Education, Polly Boshielo to engage her national Home Affairs counterpart Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to allow about 400 gateway subject teachers working in Limpopo to enter the country.

During an Education portfolio committee meeting last week, it was revealed that the province has about 400 gateway subject teachers mostly from Zimbabwe that cannot enter the province to teach through the border due to cross border travel restrictions.

Gateway subjects refer to subjects like Mathematics, Physical Science, Economics, Agricultural Sciences, Geography and Accounting which are considered critical for the country’s development and economic growth. These subjects are also critical for entrance into higher education programmes that will offer greater availability of job opportunities.

The failure of these gateway subject teachers to enter the country and resume work will have an extremely negative effect on the preparation of learners for their final exams and their chances to achieve good marks for admission into institutions of higher learning. The impact of the failure of these teachers to resume work is further compounded by the fact that almost half the school year has been lost due to COVID-19.

In the 2019 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams Limpopo had lower percentages than the national averages of learners that achieved 30% and above in all eleven of the gateway subjects. It is evident that the province cannot afford to carry on without these teachers.

These gateway teachers should be allowed to enter the country as a matter of urgency given their immense contribution to the education of learners in the province and the high demand for their skills. The impact of COVID-19 on the schooling year should see gateway subject teachers being viewed as critical skills and they should be allowed to enter the country, provided that they have valid work permits and have undergone the necessary screening.

The DA is committed to ensuring that the learners in Limpopo receive a quality education and are not left behind in the current academic year. We will continue to monitor the developments around this matter.

Issued by The DA