South Africa Loses More Than 32,000 Teachers Over Five Years

South Africa has lost more than 32,000 teachers in the past five years, according to parliamentary data. That equates to an average of more than 6,000 educators leaving the classroom each year. Of those departures, 30,992 were resignations while 1,245 educators were dismissed under the Employment of Educators Act.

The resignations were driven by workload pressures, career changes and emigration. More than 50 percent of primary school learners are now taught in classes exceeding 40 children. At the same time, the national recruitment database lists at least 12,700 qualified educators who remain unemployed while classrooms stay understaffed.

Young teachers often enter the profession with pedagogical training and a desire to work with students. The realities of South African classrooms, however, present immediate and sustained difficulties. A report from Stellenbosch University's Research on Socio-Economic Policy unit found that nearly half of all in-service public school teachers reported low job satisfaction.

A fellowship program has been introduced to support educators through targeted mentorship, community building and psychological resources. The initiative aims to counter the annual loss of teaching staff by addressing the factors that contribute to resignations.

Daily Maverick reported that the fellowship provides the type of sustained support many educators say is currently unavailable in the public system.