SCHOOL NEWS - The teaching profession has always been one of the main pillars within a thriving society. But today, in South Africa, it is a profession in peril.
Our educators - those entrusted with shaping future generations, are burning out, under-resourced, and, increasingly, walking away from the profession altogether, resulting in a brain drain, locally.
At the Anton Lubowski Educational Trust (ALET), we engage daily with teachers across the country. What they share is sobering, from crime-ridden classrooms being extorted by gang leaders, to inadequate training, emotional exhaustion, and chronic underpayment.
These are not isolated incidents - they are part of a national crisis.
Classrooms on the brink
Many public schools in South Africa face staggering learner to teacher ratios, with some educators managing classrooms of over 50 students at a time.
In these overcrowded, noisy environments, individual attention is almost impossible, and discipline becomes a full-time job in itself.
In the early childhood development (ECD) space, the situation is just as concerning. Teachers are doing the best they can to look after young children, often with genuine care and commitment.
But many are not adequately trained in how young children learn, leaving these children under-stimulated during the most critical years of their development.
There are few, if any, safe places for young children to play - either inside or outside - and space is severely limited. Many grow up without sufficient exposure to sunlight or access to healthy, nutritious food.
These early deficits can have a profound and lasting impact, long before a child even reaches primary school.
Infrastructure adds another layer of adversity - think broken windows, pit latrines, a lack of running water, and no textbooks. In many impoverished communities, multiple learners share desks - if they’re lucky enough to have any. These are not the conditions in which great minds are nurtured.
Teachers on the frontline of crime
Our schools are a reflection of their communities. Where drugs, crime, and violence spill into neighbourhoods, they inevitably creep into classrooms. In these environments, teachers are not just educators, but they are also social workers, caregivers, and security officers.
And yet, there is no formal support system in place for these educators. No mental health infrastructure for teachers bearing the weight of systemic trauma. No hazard pay for schools operating under duress. Just quiet resilience, and sometimes, despair.
The skills, and incentive gap
We are witnessing a worrying brain drain in the education sector. Fewer young South Africans are choosing teaching as a career. Why would they? Teachers are undercompensated. The training is outdated. And the respect the profession once commanded has dwindled.
Even those who do qualify are often not adequately prepared for today’s fast changing world. Without continuous training and access to modern teaching tools, we are asking educators to prepare learners for a future they themselves aren’t equipped to navigate.
We can all play a part
We have to start asking ourselves some hard questions. The scene we just painted is not the case for all children, it is only the reality for our under-resourced communities, schools, families and children.
- What form of learning for young children do I value?
- What difference does a good education play in the life of a person?
- Why is education so important?
- Is the type of education that children are currently receiving adequate to make them active, caring, engaged humans?
- What can I do to begin making the same educational experience available for all children?
Policy reform is essential, but it is not enough on its own. We need real, visible support where it counts - inside classrooms and communities. At ALET, we believe the public can play a vital role in bridging the gap through small but powerful acts of solidarity.
Here’s how you can help:
- Donate new or gently used storybooks: Early literacy builds a strong foundation for future success. Storybooks inspire imagination and help children fall in love with learning.
- Contribute to our nutrition drive: Just R40 provides a nutritionally dense hot meal through our soup kitchen, and R500 can feed an entire household of six, for two weeks through our food parcel programme. Every bit of nourishment helps families focus, grow, and thrive.
Banking details for food donations:
Anton Lubowski Educational Trust
Nedbank
Acc No: 1010133608
Branch Code: 101009
Account Type: Current Account
SWIFT Code: NEDSZAJJ
Registered in South Africa:
PBO: 930035321
NPO: 064 942
ALET boilerplate
The Anton Lubowski Educational Trust (ALET) was established in 2009 in memory of Namibian anti-apartheid and human rights activist and advocate Anton Lubowski. Part of the leadership of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), Lubowski was assassinated in September 1989, just three months before Namibia’s first independent elections. Lubowski felt very strongly that education is the key to a better future and that education had the ability to unite people, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, gender, or creed. In his last interview given before he died, he insisted that education was the most important task of the new Namibian government. The brainchild of Lubowski’s family, including his daughter Nadia Lubowski and widow Gabrielle Lubowski, ALET focuses on early childhood development in low socio-economic communities, paying special attention to the connection between school and home and helping to set children up for future success. ALET’s flagship project is an early childhood development and family centre in the Cape Town township of Philippi, an area that suffers high levels of crime, violence, unemployment, and poverty and where children struggle to access good quality education. ALET’s vision is to help every child coming through its programme reach their full potential and live a purposeful life, breaking the cycle of poverty and hopelessness.
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