By REGINALD KANYANE
27 October 2025- The North West Department of Education said it has issued letters to the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) Educational Assistants and General Assistants to notify them about the termination of their contracts at the end of November 2025, instead of December 2025. The department said the BEEI project was implemented in June 2025 throughout the country, but the North West province only started in July 2025, due to recruitment challenges experienced.
The North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi said these challenges forced the province to delay the appointment of the EAs and GAs in June and to appoint them at the beginning of July 2025. Motsumi said among the recruitment challenges experienced, were the exclusion of the SGBs in the establishment of interview panels, non-compliance with the radius (5km and 30km) and the selling of the BEEI posts, etc.
“The North West Department of Education made an application through the Department of Basic Education to the Unemployment Insurance Fund for an extension of the programme by one month. The Department of Basic Education indicated that the application for the extension has not yet been responded to by the funder.
“The North West Department of Education was subsequently advised to notify the Educational Assistants and General Assistants of the outcome of the request. The department then issued notices to the affected individuals a month before the actual date of 30th November,” she said.
Motsumi further emphasized that it is extremely unfortunate that the funder has not yet responded to the request of the North West province.
“On behalf of the North West Department of Education, I am extremely disappointed that the funder of the BEEI programme did not approve our request to extend the programme by one month. Our province could not start with the programme in June due to a myriad of challenges experienced in different schools.
“In June, we were forced to clean up all those problems wherein some posts were sold to the youth. We viewed these as serious challenges, and as a result, we could not start the programme in June 2025. I want to inform our youth that this programme is not funded by the department, nor does the budget reside with the department,” she added.
Motsumi said on a monthly basis, it is the funder who transfers the money into the Educational Assistants’ and General Assistants’ accounts. She said when the funder said the programme is closing in November in all provinces, they do not have powers to act contrary to the funder.
“We further pleaded with the Educational Assistants and General Assistants to understand the position of the department and to work together in sharing this information with the youth in all the schools. I want to thank all the Educational Assistants and General Assistants who have been deployed to our schools.
“Your contribution does not go unnoticed, but it is felt by all teachers, learners, and departmental officials. Our schools will not be the same without you. In this short period of time, your contribution has been so immense, and you have been a great relief to our teachers. I am requesting you to share this information with all other colleagues in different schools,” said Motsumi.
She said the Educational Assistants’ and General Assistants’ last day at school will be on 30 November 2025.
The Guardian 