More than half of South Africa’s public school teachers are over the age of 50. This means they will retire
between now and 2030. Compounding this is a poor uptake of teaching as a profession, with only 49% of
teachers in the country regarding this as their first career choice.
Currently around 15 000 new teachers graduate per year, but this is below the required number to
maintain an effective teacher-pupil ratio. Research shows that less than half of these graduates go on to
teach.
Teaching is rightly called one of the noblest professions because teachers nurture, inspire, and educate
children to become contributing members of society.Teachers like all professionals, need to constantly update and upskill their own knowledge to remain effective and relevant in the fast-changing world we live in.
Teaching is more than just delivering a lesson plan in front of a group of students. At SPARK Schools, we
take this into account during our recruitment process. We look at how our educators can deliver a
curriculum that has the greatest impact on the South African educational system by carefully considering
our context and history,’’ says Claudia Do Nascimento, head of HR at SPARK Schools.
Do Nascimento says professional development should be at the centre of developing quality education and
teachers for the following reasons:
● Well-developed teachers are capable of enhancing teaching methods, as they can adopt new,
innovative and more effective teaching methods.
● Teachers who are actively pursuing development promote equity and inclusiveness, they are well-educated on issues such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, and are better equipped to create a
supportive and inclusive learning environment.
● When teachers are well-educated, they are better equipped to continuously improve their practice,
provide support to their colleagues, and contribute to the overall development of the country’s
education system.
“We also develop and nurture our teachers so that they too can experience the best outcomes in their
careers. 88% of our school leaders were promoted internally through our in-house leadership development
programme.
“Research in South Africa suggests that teachers are leaving the profession because they do not feel valued
or are given support from school leadership. Our mission is to do the exact opposite. Our teachers are
given both professional and mental support to deal with the challenges of teaching.
“We have a strong focus on encouraging growth for young, female principals within our network of
schools,” says Do Nascimento. Over the past 10 years of SPARK Schools, we have promoted young
teachers, and principals. We are actively working with, and rewarding, promising teachers that will
enhance the education sector.”
