SA’s ageing teacher crisis

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Published Sep 22, 2014

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Cape Town - The country was sitting with an “uncomfortable bulge” of ageing teachers who would be lost to the system in the next 10 years, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga warned.

Although universities and higher education institutions were working to push up the number of teaching graduates, this wouldn’t fill the void.

Motshekga made the remarks at a briefing on Sunday on resolutions adopted at the council of ministers’ meeting last week.

The council comprises the minister and the nine Education MECs.

The department had embarked on a programme to profile and train prospective teachers.

“The bulge that we are talking about, of your qualified teachers, is between the ages of 45 and 55. So your 55s mean that in 10 years’ time they’ll be quitting the system,” Motshekga said.

Some could retire at 60.

The idea was to increase teacher recruitment “because at the current stage, we have a very uncomfortable bulge of older teachers”.

If the government didn’t act, the country would have difficulties.

“That’s why we’ve decided to increase from the bottom… we have to start preparing and ensuring that if that bulge suddenly gives, there’ll be enough trained people to enter (the system).

“That’s why it’s quite urgent for the sector to start building from the bottom and make sure that lots of young people who want to join the profession can be assisted.”

To deliver the curriculum effectively, it would be “crucial that we have the correct teacher” teaching a subject in the classroom.

“To ensure this, we have begun a process of profiling all teachers in the system.”

Resource centres were being revitalised to provide support at district level for teachers.

Forty teacher resource centres were activated nationally and 168 staff trained in a five-day programme during the first three months of the administration, Motshekga said.

In addition, “subject committees” have been established to improve “peer to specialist” teacher development.

Motshekga said 950 grade 12 mathematics teachers have been trained on new mathematics topics including Euclidean Geometry and Probability (the calculation of how likely something is to happen) to enable pupils to improve their performance in the National Senior Certificate and increase their chances of post-school education.

Motshekga said an additional 107 officials were trained on teaching English “first additional language” in primary school and this would be done in collaboration with the British Council.

In a speech delivered at the anniversary of the Progressive Professionals earlier this month, President Jacob Zuma said South Africa needed more teachers. “Without good teachers, our targets of boosting the level of education and skills development will fall flat. I am therefore mobilising you as professionals to partner with us in promoting teacher development and empowerment.”

Political Bureau

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