Story audio is generated using AI
The Public Servants Association (PSA) has called on basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube to address the “exodus” of teachers from public schools as a result of crime, inadequate resources and deteriorating working conditions. PSA general manager Reuben Maleka said recent reports indicated many teachers were leaving government schools because they no longer felt safe, supported or valued in the workplace. Gwarube could not immediately be reached for comment. She told parliament last year that more than 32,000 teachers left South Africa’s public schools between 2020 and 2024, including nearly 31,000 resignations, while 1,245 teachers were dismissed under the Employment of Educators Act. The primary drivers of the mass exodus were overwhelming workload pressures, career changes and emigration.“The PSA views this trend as a serious threat to the future of public education and the quality of learning of millions of pupils. Teachers are central to the education system. When experienced teachers leave the profession or migrate to better-resourced environments, pupils suffer the consequences through overcrowded classrooms, reduced subject offerings, declining educational outcomes and increased pressure on the remaining staff,” Maleka said. “The PSA calls on the minister of basic education to urgently implement a comprehensive intervention strategy to curb this growing brain drain. Such interventions must include strengthening safety and security measures at schools, particularly in crime-affected communities. “The provision of adequate teaching resources, infrastructure and pupil support materials must be accelerated.” Maleka said excessive workloads and administrative burdens placed on teachers must be addressed. Read: ‘Not a genuine trade union’: PSA faces being shut down over alleged reporting failures“Vacant teaching posts must be filled without delay to reduce class sizes and improve working conditions. Psychosocial support programmes for teachers exposed to violence, intimidation and workplace stress must be expanded. There should also be meaningful engagement with organised labour to develop sustainable retention strategies for skilled teachers,” he said on Tuesday. “The PSA further urges government to recognise that retaining qualified teachers is a national development imperative. South Africa cannot afford to lose skilled teachers while the country is already facing significant educational challenges.” During her department’s budget vote in May, Gwarube tabled a budget of R38.2bn for 2026/27, which she said supported, among other things, quality early childhood development (ECD), foundational literacy and numeracy, inclusive education, teacher development, school safety and infrastructure, and stronger governance. Budget vote 16 allocates R38.2bn in 2026/27, including R32.7bn for conditional grants: Almost R11bn for school nutrition; R16bn for school infrastructure; R4.6bn for ECD; R477m for mathematics, science and technology; and R307m for pupils with disabilities.“These allocations only matter if they reach pupils quickly, efficiently and transparently. Delivery must be felt in the classroom,” Gwarube said. “History will not judge us by how many speeches we delivered or how many plans we announced. “It will judge us by whether children could read better, count better, learn in safety, eat at school and leave school with strong futures because we governed well. This administration chooses reform over excuses, delivery over slogans and children over petty party politics. Stronger foundations produce stronger schools, stronger communities and a stronger nation.”
