Gauteng Education Department issues apology over assistant teachers' payment delays
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has apologised for the delays in processing the details of some of its assistant teachers who have not been paid their stipends this past month.
This comes as the new programme involving more than 8,000 assistant teachers began early last month.
As a result of the delays, the department has indicated that some might not be paid.
"The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) wishes to notify the public, particularly education and general assistants, of potential delays in payment due to an ongoing data verification process. Education and general assistants, of potential delays in payment due to an ongoing data verification process. The placement of assistants officially began on 1 June 2025 across various participating schools under the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI)," departmental spokesperson, Steve Mabona said on Monday.
One of the assistants based in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, said that she is yet to be paid due to the delays in verification of her details; however, she remains hopeful that she will soon get her stipend.
"I am one of the assistant teachers who have not been paid due to the delays. We have been told that we will be paid as soon as the process has been finalised. I hope this will be done by end of this new month. I know that some of the assistants have received their pay slips, and they have been paid," she said.
The assistants were recruited as part of the provincial government's efforts in supporting teaching and learning, with Mabona stating that the department acknowledges and commends their contributions to the education system following their recent placements across schools in the province.
According to the department, the delays are due to incomplete submission of personal and banking details and other challenges.
"While a number of schools have successfully confirmed placements and submitted validated data, a portion of submissions remains under review due to issues such as duplicate or invalid ID numbers, incorrect banking details, and incomplete data entries. These issues have impacted the speed of the verification process. As a result, only assistants whose details have been verified and cleared will receive payment in batches," he stated.
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