Teachers will be able to earn more in a shorter period of time. This is the gist of the improved career pathing and accelerated salary progression for educators, one of two agreements signed last month by the Department of Education and South Africa’s four teacher unions.

The other agreement, the revised school grading norms, will affect principals’ pay.

Both agreements aim to make the teaching profession more attractive to recruits, retain good educators and principals in the sector and boost the morale of educators.

Since the improved career pathing and accelerated salary progression agreement depends on the good performance of teachers in the classroom, the education department and the unions believe that learners will be the ultimate winners as they will benefit from improved quality of teaching.

Firoz Patel, a Deputy Director General in the Department of Education said, in terms of rands and cents, one of the significant outcomes of the Improved Career Pathing and Accelerated Salary Progression for Educators agreement is that a teacher on post level one, who would previously reach a maximum notch of R136 305, can now progress to R162 765.

The salary structure for educators consists of levels or grades, with each level consisting of 16 notches. Levels three to 12 are applicable to educators.

“The agreement means that a post level one teacher can, without having to apply for a vacant promotion post, progress to the same maximum salary as a post level two educator or the equivalent to the first leg of a deputy principal’s salary,” said Patel.

A teacher with a four-year qualification entering the profession on a salary of R94 530 would previously have taken 33 years to reach the maximum of R136 305. The same person, if consistently performing at the level of “good” in terms of the Integrated Quality Management System (the teachers’ performance assessment system), will now progress to the higher maximum of R162 765 in 29 years.

“Should such a teacher get promoted to a post of education specialist, she could, of course reach these higher salary levels much quicker,” Patel added.

Accelerated salary progression makes provision for an educator to progress three notches, instead of only one, after three performance evaluations of “good”.

So, a teacher entering the service on salary notch 7,1 who performs consistently at the level of “good” will progress to notch 7,2 after one year, to notch 7,3 after two years, and to notch 7,6 after three years.

Under the new School Grading Norms agreement, a principal salary grade will be adjusted to a higher grade in proportion to the number of government-paid posts at the school . The maximum grade a principal can be graded at is increased from grade 11 (R237 003 per annum) to grade 12 (R285 255 per annum).

Two additional agreements, which are still being finalised, would strengthen the two signed last month.

One of these will allow the payment of cash performance rewards for teachers who perform exceptionally well. The other will provide incentives for skilled teachers who teach in difficult circumstances -- for instance, educators teaching scarce subjects in rural schools and those working in disadvantaged schools.