Research conducted by the Stellenbosch University's Research on Socio-economic Policy Unity, found that close to half (49%) of teachers employed by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) are over the age of 50 and will be forced to retire in the coming decade.
In response to concerns raised by many, the DBE says there should be no concerns over a predicted teacher shortage in the coming years.
According to the department, several measures have been put in place to mitigate age concerns and it is confident that the high output of new teachers from South African universities will be able to deal with the expected retirement wave over the next decade.
Chief Executive Officer of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa, Basil Manuel says the research does emphasize the future scenario, and the present shows that teachers are aging, and a substantial number of teachers will retire soon.
“We cannot just assume that because we are training numbers of new teachers that it would satisfy the demand and whether they are in every category that is needed,” he adds
Manual explains that currently there is shortage of certain types of teachers, particularly teachers with certain types of qualifications, adding that there is a shortage looming of teachers who teach Afrikaans in Secondary schools as well as a shortage of Primary school teachers.
The disjuncture comes where we find that very few students who have done critical subjects like mathematics and science are wanting to go into the teaching profession.
Although there are many new teachers being trained, not all of them are going to find employment due to the changing system and skills that are needed, he adds.
Manuel states that new teachers will need to be able to teach various disciplines and skills as well as be computer literate and familiar with computer sciences.
In order to motivate students who are currently studying teaching to enter the relevant fields that are needed, Manuel believes that certain subjects need to be made more attractive so that students are encouraged to pursue the necessary qualifications.
