MoET addresses gender disparity at teaching commission
MOSA MAOENG
MASERU – The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) is expected to soon engage the Teaching Service Department (TSD) to interrogate the lingering gender disparity within the department’s commission, which has for some time attracted criticism from some teachers. This was revealed by the MoET Principal Secretary, Ratšiu Majara, speaking to Public Eye after yet another letter of complaint over the matter was directed to his office.
Majara confirmed receipt of the letter from Lehlohonolo Mokuena, a teacher by profession, indicating that he has already requested an urgent meeting with the TSD to look into normalizing the composition of the five-member Teaching Service Commission (TSC) as required by law.
Section 41.1 of the Education Act of 2010 provides for the TSC to consist of five members who have rendered distinguished service in educational and professional spheres, and appointed by the minister – two of whom should be women. The other two members are nominated by school proprietors with the two highest number of public schools in the country, in this case the Roman Catholic Church and the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA), respectively.
In his letter, Mokuena has faulted the MoET for having allowed the removal of women from the TSC despite their membership being guaranteed by the Education Act. The disgruntled teacher brings to the attention of the ministry, and seeks redress, that loss of revenue to the women professionals who could have been engaged by the TSC, which currently benefits the men who has been appointed instead.
Speaking to Public Eye in an interview, Mokuena said though he has not given the PS timeframes within which to react to his complaint he expected a timeous response – failing which he planned to seek the intervention of the education minister Professor Ntoi Rapapa. Mokuena said he strongly views it as unfair that women professionals could just be ejected from participating in the TSC, and in breach of the law governing its operations.
He said: “There is nothing that can protect them except the law, yet the TSC has chosen to flout the legal requirement.”
Mokuena said laws are made to be complied with and not be broken at the whim of those in authority, indicating that the gender disparity within the TSC is an ill that has to be rectified immediately. While acknowledging Mokuena’s concerns, Majara stated that: “I believe Mokuena did not write the letter to only address the issue of positions spared for women in the TSC, but pushing his other agenda emanating from the fact that other teachers appointed to the commission have been engaged on a permanent basis while he is on a contract.”
Majara said Mokuena is a teacher by profession and holds a position within the TSC as a representative of the LECSA Council. He pointed out, though, that he would address his concerns without reservations though “he is not fighting the TSD, but waging a battle with MoET through me.”
He emphasised that he will solve the issue as soon as the TSD representative is present.
The TSD is the secretariat to the TSC, and implements the decision of commission regarding the employment of teachers. Functions of the TSC includes to appoint, promote, demote, transfer and remove from office teachers whose salaries are paid by government, to advise the Minister of Education on any matter related to the teaching service as it may find necessary or as the minister may request.
