Commonwealth Protocol to control teacher poaching

South Africa's largest teachers' union welcomed a decision by Commonwealth countries on Thursday to clamp down on the poaching of educators from developing countries. Education ministers of 23 Commonwealth states this week agreed to a series of measures that will guide the process of international teacher recruitment. The Commonwealth protocol does not ban recruitment from developing countries altogether, but is intended to end the organised targeting of poorer countries by wealthier ones seeking teaching staff. Teacher organisations in South Africa have criticised British recruitment agencies for poaching, saying that the financial rewards they offer have led to an exodus. South Africa, which remains the largest provider of teachers to Britain, has been losing an estimated 1,492 educators a year, followed by Zimbabwe at 268. "We fully support the Commonwealth decision. Developing countries spend vast amounts of money on teacher training, only to lose some of our best educators to richer countries. The flight of these skills has been very detrimental to the country's effort to improve literacy rates," John Lewis, a spokesman for the South African Democratic Teachers Union, told IRIN. While the attractive financial rewards offered in countries like the United Kingdom remained a key "push factor", local teachers also sought better working conditions. On average, teachers in South Africa earn about Rand 8,300 (US $1,300) per month. "The pull of the pound certainly has a lot to do with why teachers opt to work in the UK, but many also are lured by promises of improved working conditions in British schools. This has proven to be untrue, with a number of teachers ending up in poorly maintained schools in the inner city," Lewis noted. Under the protocol, countries experiencing an exodus of teachers may request states employing their nationals to discuss the problem, while governments receiving high numbers of teachers from other countries will agree to provide them with extra training and support to boost the education systems of their home countries when they return. "SADTU has always maintained that host countries should give something back to the developing countries providing them with these teachers. Ongoing teacher training is essential, as well as ensuring that these teachers are unionised, which protects them from being exploited," Lewis added. Meanwhile, South African teachers across the country went on strike this week after rejecting the government's revised benefits offer. Although the government revised its offer to raise salaries from 4.4 to 5.5 percent, plus a 1 percent pay progression, it did not meet SADTU's demand of 7 percent from an intital 10 percent. Lewis told IRIN: "Fair remuneration remains our biggest contestation with the government. Since 1996 teachers have received restrictive salary adjustments, limiting salary increases to inflation only. The education ministry has said it would commit funds to address the eight-year backlog in promotions, based on time served." The teachers' strike has received support from the medical unions, who have been equally vocal about poor salaries and inadequate working conditions. Recent statistics show that 2,366 nurses left South Africa last year to fill vacant nursing posts in Britain, and a further 1,101 have followed them since January 2004. For full Commonwealth Protocol: www.thecommonwealth.org