Reports of severe aggression on both the part of teachers and that of learners are reported, with extreme acts of violence being reported.
Image: Independent Media
The SAOU is seriously concerned by the current educational trends, which have been reported in the media over the past two weeks.
Under normal circumstances, the strain felt by schools and learners is alleviated after a school holiday, with incidents only recurring after the first month.
In 2025, however, it seems that the weeklong school holiday did not bring relief to the system. After only the second week back at school, the trends have escalated.
Reports of severe aggression on both the part of teachers and that of learners are reported, with extreme acts of violence being reported. The education system and schooling are deteriorating due to the uncertainties which are currently being experienced.
The threat of many teachers leaving the system is an additional strain on the system.
In addition to this, the Minister of Basic Education responded to a Parliamentary question by indicating that there were 31 811 vacant funded positions in the education system.
The provincial education departments (PEDs) are wilfully playing the delaying tactic, especially when it comes to the appointment of School Management Teams due to the salary increase.
In the Western Cape, the appointment of a principal has taken up to 18 months, and in Gauteng, the appointments of principals were delayed to 1 April 2025 instead of starting 1 January 2025 as advertised in the vacancy list.
Other PEDs are prone to the same tactics due to the ever-present budget constraints. The message to PEDs should be clear: the funded posts must be filled as a matter of urgency.
The minister indicated that an expected 2201 teaching professionals (aged 60 to 63) will retire from the system at the end of 2025.
This includes 1509 teachers, 256 departmental heads, 99 deputy principals and 157 principals. If the estimated 15 000 teachers who will form part of the Early Retirement Programme are included, that means that there will be a deficit of 49 000 teachers in a system which caters foran ever-growing number of learners, currently numbering 12785821 (School Realities, 2024)This growing number of vacancies is destabilising the system.
A lack of teachers implies that the number of learners in classes increases, leading to overcrowding in classes and less attention to
2learners. This could lead to an increase in disciplinary problems in the classroom. Numerous research papers released since January indicate that the mental health and well-being of teachers cannot be sustained under these growing challenges.
For schools where the SGB manages learner numbers by appointing an SGB staff member, it will lead to a probable increase in school fees.
If the minister is serious about improving the quality of education in the country and ensuring better international results, these actions to decrease the number of teachers have to be stopped.
The SAOU urges the Department of Basic Education to open a discussion on the current detrimental changes in the education system.
South African Teacher Union I Pretoria
