Breaking Point — why half of South Africa's teachers are ready to walk away

Daily Maverick

01-05-2025

As South Africa's education system struggles, many teachers are at their breaking point, facing overwhelming workloads, safety concerns and a lack of support, leading many to reconsider their future in the profession.
A significant number of South Africa's teachers are considering walking away from the profession, not because they've lost their passion, but because the system is breaking them.
According to the Teacher Preferences and Job Satisfaction in South Africa report by the Research on Socio-Economic Policy unit (Resep) at Stellenbosch University, nearly half of all in-service teachers in the public system are thinking about leaving within the next decade. The main reasons include overwhelming workloads, excessive administrative tasks, a lack of mental health support and even threats of violence in the classroom.
Based on an online survey of about 1,500 teachers and in-depth interviews with 80 more, the report offers a stark portrait of what it currently means to teach in South Africa. Teachers say they are being stretched well beyond their teaching duties, often drowning in paperwork, dealing with discipline issues and performing the roles of social workers and counsellors – all while navigating underresourced environments.
Beyond the workload, the study also shed light on geographic preferences and issues affecting teachers' ability to teach effectively. Surveyed teachers showed a clear preference for working in the Western Cape and Gauteng, with 40% indicating that nothing would convince them to work in a rural area. Interviews highlighted reasons for this, including poor resources, inadequate infrastructure (such as internet connectivity), a lack of services and social factors including tribalism or safety concerns in urban areas.
From passion to disillusionment
A Western Cape-based teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, began her career in 2018 and said she entered the profession with purpose and idealism.
'It's so frustrating because I chose this profession to help build a better country. I don't want to just collect a cheque and go, but it gets harder every day,' she said.
The report also revealed significant challenges regarding teacher preparedness for various aspects of the job, particularly concerning pupils and classroom dynamics. Many teachers felt underprepared for dealing with pupils who cannot keep up with the curriculum, handling large class sizes and effective classroom management.
The teacher who spoke to Daily Maverick said among her biggest challenges are overcrowded classrooms and increasingly disruptive pupil behaviour.
'The situation is dire. In smaller classes, you can actually teach creatively, but when you have 43 children in the room, you spend so much time just trying to keep order that by the time you start the lesson, you're already out of time,' she said.
The report highlighted that challenges such as compulsory grade progression and low reading ability among pupils exacerbate the difficulty of addressing learning shortfalls.
The teacher said she's noticed a troubling decline in pupils' ability to focus and express themselves.
'They can't focus on anything for more than five minutes. They have zero impulse control. They can't construct sentences, and they're mean to each other in ways that are just cruel. They say things like, 'My parents were married when they had me and yours were not so you are a bastard'. They make fun of those with absent fathers or those whose parents have passed away,' she said.
The cruelty doesn't end in the classroom, with online harassment among pupils rampant and intensifying, said the teacher.
'They talk badly about each other on social media, and it's getting worse by the day. Sometimes they even create Instagram accounts just to target specific learners. They'll post unflattering pictures, share their test marks, or write captions that are just cruel,' she said.
According to the report, beyond academic issues, teachers reported significant stress from managing discipline and behavioural problems, including ill-discipline among older pupils and facing threats or instances of violence from students, which significantly detracts from teaching time and affects their safety.
'Theft is constant – even from teachers. I have had my laptop stolen twice. We have kids selling drugs to each other. Half a class could be high in first period. They'll take anything – antidepressants, cough syrup, cocaine. We confiscate drugs every day, in the most unexpected forms. Their creativity in hiding it is insane,' she said.
From bursary to burnout
A teacher in Gauteng, who spoke to Daily Maverick on condition of anonymity, said she entered the profession through the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme, which was designed to address South Africa's teacher shortage. But after completing her degree in 2023, she found herself stuck.
'I couldn't be placed. Schools were full. Teachers were in excess. There is a need for teachers, you always see it on the news – but where? I was even prepared to take a post in a rural school, because that's where they say the need is, but even that was a great battle for me,' she said.
Now in the classroom, she finds herself increasingly disillusioned. The passion that once drove her is being worn down by systemic challenges and a lack of support.
'I'm here for the children, but every day it gets harder. There are a lot of problems. We are underpaid, and we're under constant pressure. When the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study results come out, everyone just blames us, but they don't know what's actually happening inside our schools,' she said.
The emotional load no one trains teachers for
The report noted that teachers, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged schools, also take on extensive caregiving, social worker and counsellor roles due to pupils' poverty and socioemotional challenges, adding to their burden and affecting their mental health.
Beyond the classroom, the Gauteng teacher quickly realised that teaching comes with a weight she was never trained for.
'I wish when I studied, I'd been taught how to deal with a difficult parent, or how to handle it when a child is being sexually abused at home. You're not just a teacher, you're also a parent, a social worker, a counsellor, you are everything,' she said.
In 2024, a young pupil had confided in her about an uncomfortable situation at home.
'He said: 'Maybe it's nothing, but it makes me feel uncomfortable.' I found out he was being abused by a cousin. It broke me. You just want to take that child, put him in your car and drive him somewhere safe. But you can't. We were able to call the parents in, and thankfully they handled it. That experience is what made me want to become an educational psychologist, someone who can help learners with problems that go far beyond academics,' she said.
Insights from the teacher interviews presented in the report reveal several challenges related to the collegial environment and school management. These include a feeling among some, particularly newer teachers, of a lack of support and collaboration from more experienced staff, who were sometimes reluctant to share information or take on new practices.
The teacher who spoke to Daily Maverick said: 'In some schools, you're forced to call certain colleagues 'mama' and if they do something wrong, you can't correct them,' she said.
Even showing initiative, she learnt, could backfire.
'I had a senior who felt threatened by my ideas. She kept telling me: 'We've been doing this for years. Don't act like we haven't tried your suggestions.' So eventually I stopped voicing my thoughts altogether,' she said.
Small wins with big impact keep teachers in the classroom
Despite the deepening challenges, both of the teachers Daily Maverick spoke to have not walked away from the profession.
'Sure, I could go teach at a private school or move abroad, but when I chose this career, my intention was to be a teacher to underprivileged kids. They deserve better but they can't afford it,' said the Western Cape teacher.
What has kept her going, she explains, is the passion she sees in some of her peers.
'The young teachers I've worked with are hungry, and that's important. There's this stereotype that teachers are just in it for the job security, the salary and four holidays a year. But I see young teachers who are invested – not just in their careers, but in our kids. That's what's beautiful to me,' she said.
The Gauteng teacher said the small moments of real joy and small victories keep her going.
'I was teaching Grade 3 last year, and there was a boy everyone had labelled a weak learner. One day, he used a new phonics sound correctly in a sentence. I told him, 'You see, you can do it', and he lit up. He looked like he was about to cry. That's the highlight, when you see the light switch on for a child. When they realise they can do it, with the right teaching and guidance,' she said. DM