Half Of Sa Teachers Want Out Because Of Violence, Exhaustion

A new study has found that half of South Africas teachers are considering leaving the profession within the next decade, largely because of overwhelming workloads, excessive administrative tasks, threats of violence from students, and no mental health support.

Many educators say they are stretched far beyond their teaching duties, leaving little time for planning lessons or working meaningfully with learners.

The Teacher Preferences and Job Satisfaction in South Africa report, produced as part of Stellenbosch Universitys Teacher Demographic Dividend Project, surveyed more than 1,580 teachers to gain deeper insights into their experiences, problems and motivations.

One of the findings is that 70 of teachers cite administrative duties as their primary source of stress, making it difficult to find time to properly plan lessons and have adequate time to support learners.

While we dont expect pre-retirement attrition rates to reach 50, these findings highlight an urgent need to address teacher burnout and mental health, the co-author of the report, Heleen Hofmeyr, told the Mail Guardian.