Many SA teachers leaving before retirement - study
A new study has found that many South African teachers are
leaving the profession before retirement.
The research has revealed that half of the country’s educators will retire in the next decade.
Over 1 000 teachers were surveyed to understand the reasons behind early exits.
Senior researcher at Stellenbosch University, Heleen Hofmeyr, says heavy workloads and excessive admin are major drivers, taking teachers away from the classroom.
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"This is really worrying because a teacher's main function is to teach - to be in the classroom [and] to teach the curriculum. And so, if they are bogged down by administrative tasks, that is obviously very frustrating and something that we want to change.
"The second finding that became very clear is that their role often extends beyond just educators. Learners come to school having faced a number of difficult challenges at home and often teachers are the only stable adult in a child’s life."
Hofmeyr says many educators are also overwhelmed by the low skill levels of learners.
" For example, that 80% of children in Grade 4 cannot read for meaning - this is a stat that's just kind of given out there and everybody goes, ‘that's so shocking’.
"But what does that really mean for teachers? And teachers told us, you know, high school teachers said, I'm supposed to teach history, biology, maths, but I'm sitting with Grade 8, 10, even matrics, who can't read."
While pre-retirement attrition may not hit 50%, Hofmeyr says the findings highlight the urgent need to tackle teacher burnout and mental health.
She has called on the Department of Education, districts, and provinces to urgently review and reduce the administrative load placed on teachers.
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