Empowering South Africa’s new teachers: A call to action this World Teachers’ Day

Prof Mbulungeni Madiba

On World Teachers’ Day (5 October), we honour and celebrate the passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment of teachers across the globe. Their work shapes not only the minds of students but also the future of society. Every lesson they teach, every moment they spend inspiring and supporting learners, leaves a lasting impact on countless lives. But alongside celebration must come reflection. In South Africa, new teachers face enormous challenges that make the profession less about inspiration and more about survival.

The statistics tell a sobering story: nearly half of new teachers in the country consider leaving the profession within their first five years. Why? Because their training often bears little resemblance to the schools they are sent to serve. Many teachers find themselves teaching up to 60 learners in spaces designed for half that number. Unsurprisingly, individual attention becomes impossible, discipline takes centre stage, and effective teaching strategies fall by the wayside. Beyond lesson planning and marking, new teachers are saddled with endless paperwork, compliance reports, and administrative tasks that eat into precious teaching time.

Schools, particularly in disadvantaged communities, are not always safe havens. Teachers face break-ins, theft, and in some cases, physical threats from learners or community members. To make matters worse, many learners arrive at school carrying the heavy burden of poverty, abuse, or exposure to crime. Teachers, untrained in trauma counselling or conflicted-escalation, are left to cope as best they can. From pit latrines to crumbling classrooms, a lack of basics sends a demoralising message—that neither the system nor the state truly values teachers or learners. This baptism by fire pushes many talented young educators to burn out quickly, leaving behind a revolving door of short-lived appointments that destabilises schools and denies children the stability they need to succeed.

If we are serious about education and the future of our learners, we must reimagine teacher preparation and their acclimatisation to their teaching environments instead of being crushed by them. We must move beyond theory and equip them with the skills required to navigate the real-life challenges teachers face. First, we need to introduce contextualised teacher preparation programmes. Much like medical doctors train in hospitals, teachers should complete sufficient time in schools that reflect the realities of South Africa—urban townships, rural villages, and under-resourced communities. During this time, they should work under the close mentorship of experienced, specially trained teachers who guide them in real-world strategies for managing overcrowded classrooms, improvising with limited resources, and building resilience.

This immersion bridges the yawning gap between theory and practice. Second, our universities and teacher preparation institutions must expand their curriculum to address the challenges unique to South Africa. This means practical, skills-based modules focused on methodologies for teaching large-classes: group work, peer tutoring, and cooperative learning tailored for 50+ learners, trauma-informed education, conflict management and safety, ability to work in low-resourced environments using community resources, recycled materials, and digital tools creatively to overcome material shortages, and finally strategies for self-care and mental health to prevent burnout.

Teachers requires support networks. New teachers should be assisted instead of being left alone in isolation. There should be structured support systems for new teachers. A Community of Practice can be established to ensure that they never feel alone in their efforts to educate and give our learners a fighting chance. Education is the cornerstone of our national development, and teachers are its builders. By preparing, supporting, and valuing them properly, we secure not only their future but the future of South Africa itself.

This World Teachers’ Day, gratitude must go beyond warm words. We must take bold steps to ensure that teachers are not thrown into the deep end but are instead given the tools to swim confidently in turbulent waters. To every teacher in South Africa: thank you. Despite overcrowded classrooms, broken windows, heavy workloads, and daily challenges, you continue to teach, inspire, and hope. May we, as a nation, rise to match your resilience with the respect, training, and support you deserve. Because in the end, to strengthen teachers is to strengthen society itself.

*Madiba is the Dean of the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University.