The SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) on Wednesday demonstrated against the Annual National Assessment (ANA) at the Congress of SA Trade Union (Cosatu) elective congress held in Johannesburg.

They carried placards that read ‘ANA is a futile exercise’ and ‘#ANAMustFall’ as they went around plenary hall while singing songs against Basic Education Minister Angie Motshega.

The implementation of ANA – the Annual National Assessments – (ANA) by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has met with resistance from teachers. Motshega insists ANA will go ahead December, which has placed her on a collision course with Sadtu.

“Have you heard the good news … Angie is leaving,” sang Sadtu members before proceedings could begin on the third day of the congress. They were joined and supported by several affiliates such as Popcru, Limusa, Satawu and Samwu.

Sadtu was angered by the department’s decision to overturn its own decision to postpone the ANAs to next year following disagreements with teacher unions.

The teachers cited issues in education that need to be attended to first. The ANAs were initially supposed to take place in November.

The department set December 4 as the new date for pupils to be assessed.

Five unions in the education sector, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU), National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA) Professional Educators’ Union (PEU) and the National Teachers’Union (NATU) and SA Onderwysersunie (SAOU) would hold a press briefing on the sidelines of the Cosatu congress at midday on Wednesday.

The unions want to brief media on their response to the decision by the department to go ahead with ANAs.