To become a registered educator in South Africa, you need to be certified to do so. This means that not only do you need a qualification but you also need to register as a professional educator through the South African Council of Educators (SACE).
If a teacher in South Africa is not registered with SACE, they can't be employed as an educator.
Requirements To Register As An Educator
- Satisfy the ethical standards contemplated in the Code of Professional Ethics for Educators
- A satisfactory police clearance against the criminal record check with the SAPS.
- SAPS clearance certificate provided by the Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management of the South African Police Service
- This clearance certificate should state whether any criminal offences have been recorded against the applicant in the Republic of South Africa.
- If the applicant has a criminal record, this is analysed in terms of the Fit-to-Teach Processes and, where necessary, must appear before the Fit-to-Teach Committee.
- Been screened and cleared against the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development's National Register of Sexual Offenders.
- Been screened and cleared against the Department of Social Development's National Child Protection Register (Only employers have access).
- Educators must at least have a diploma in education at NQF level 6 or higher
- Had foreign qualifications screened in an evaluation process that is genuine and not fraudulent.
- Had qualifications screened and verified by SAQA against the National Learner Record Database (Currently not happening due to financial constraints).
How To Register With SACE As An Educator
To register, the applicant needs to fill out the Council's application form. This application must be submitted along with certified proof of the educator's qualifications, identity document, and the required registration fee.
Government has said, "The purpose of this is to register qualified educators and create sub-registers for particular categories, maintain and update the educator database, and enhance the quality of the registration of teachers by introducing standards".
