Guest: Dr Corrin Varady, CEO of edtech platform IDEA.

South African Government Must Align to Address Urgent Teacher Shortages

At the 14th Policy Dialogue Forum of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education, South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile highlighted that there is a global shortage of qualified and motivated teachers. He also acknowledged that the country is not unique to other countries in this regard. “Instead of disregarding the situation and continuing as if everything is going according to plan, we need to acknowledge the problem and devise a solution that is both effective and efficient.”

“This comes as a surprising turn in sentiment following last year’s comments from the Department of Basic Education, who claimed that the country faced no teacher shortages,” says Dr Corrin Varady, CEO of edtech platform IDEA.

“And while Department has admitted in the past that there is a shortage of teachers in specific areas that include mathematics, science, and technology, what it fails to realise is that this has resulted in those subjects being dropped either by schools or students due to the lack of experienced teachers,” points out Dr Varady. “To this end, the Deputy President even recognised that there is a mismatch between the demands for critical subjects such as maths and science as opposed to the university's supply.”

“It is crucial that government leadership urgently aligns on the issue, so they can begin to take corrective steps and narrow the gap,” he concludes.

The causes of teacher shortages and how this impacts the education system and learners in South Africa;
The importance of alignment between government and all stakeholders to address critical issues related to basic education in the country.
The corrective steps government and the Department of Basic Education should take to address the country’s teacher shortages;
The impacts of teacher shortages on SA’s STEM skills and the implications for the future.

The Morning Bliss

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